No Graduation for Cheaters

[MM27]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-06-05-graduation-cheaters_N.htm

The funniest part is the one kid that had access to the tests, but still failed

An Ohio school district says it uncovered a cheating scheme so pervasive that it had to cancel graduation ceremonies for its 60 seniors — but will still mail their diplomas.
A senior at Centerberg High School accessed teachers' computers, found tests, printed them and distributed them to classmates, administrators said.

Graduation was canceled because so many seniors either cheated or knew about the cheating but failed to report it, said officials of the Centerburg School District.

Superintendent Dorothy Holden said the district had to take a stand and let students know that cheating can't be tolerated.

"I am alarmed that our kids can think that in society it's OK to cheat, it's a big prank, it's OK to turn away and not be a whistle-blower, not come forth," Holden said.

The district says it has identified a student who apparently accessed shared file folders on teachers' computers.

Officials believe the cheating involved at least five tests in a senior World Studies class dating to early January. One of the tests quizzed students on Aztec Indian history.

Teachers had suspicions about some higher-than-expected grades during the semester, Holden said.

The cheating unraveled when a student discovered a congratulatory note to the perpetrator on a school computer Tuesday and gave it to Principal John Morgan.

Administrators learned Friday that the cheating plot may have involved underclassmen, as well.

Holden said so many students are involved that it was impossible "to separate the wheat from the chaff" in terms of deciding who could graduate. Instead, all students will be mailed their diplomas.

"We're not going to put that type of honor out there knowing that many of you are walking through there and you cheated, you lied, you denied," Holden said.

Some parents angry about the cancellation are organizing an unofficial graduation ceremony.

Centerburg High, with about 400 students, is one of the state's top schools, with an "excellent" academic rating last year, according to the state Department of Education.

Last year, the school had a 99% graduation rate, compared to a statewide rate of 87%.

Some students admit they cheated; others said they knew of the cheating but didn't participate; and others said they had the tests but didn't use them, Holden said.

One student who used the test still failed.

 

[MushyMushy]

Wow.

Something similar happened in my class when I graduated in 85. Our top 10, including the valedictorian and salutatorian stole a chemistry final and they ALL cheated. These were best of the best. Kids I'd known most of my life. They were incredibly bright boys who made a HUGE mistake. So, the top 10 didn't get any of their honors and didn't get to graduate. Our valedictorian was a girl who took all business classes.

After all these years, the men still don't like to talk about it. I don't know what they were thinking, and some of them say they don't even know what they were thinking at the time.

It's a shame. Some kids just don't think sometimes.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

There was a story I posted a few days ago about a girl who had another student go in to a school computer and change her grade. She sued to be allowed to walk (judge said no). There were people here who said that she should have still been allowed to walk. I admit I find that a bit mindboggling.

Good for this school. Those kids are lucky they are getting a diploma at all. I do feel bad if there are any truly innocent parties (kids who didn't know about it) but it sounds like that is unlikely.

 

[MickeyMomTo2]

We had a similar situation during my junior year of high school, and the kids were let off the hook because the parents went to the board and explained that their kids apparently didn't know it was wrong to accept a copy of the test from a friend who stole it from the teacher's classroom after hours. The one good thing that came from it was three of the kids actually owned up to it and willingly retook the class during summer school. I still respect them for doing that when the others let their parents get them out of trouble.

I can see from this article that some systems still punish punish cheaters. It's good to know that!

 

[agnes!]

We had a similar situation during my junior year of high school, and the kids were let off the hook because the parents went to the board and explained that their kids apparently didn't know it was wrong to accept a copy of the test from a friend who stole it from the teacher's classroom after hours. The one good thing that came from it was three of the kids actually owned up to it and willingly retook the class during summer school. I still respect them for doing that when the others let their parents get them out of trouble.

I can see from this article that some systems still punish punish cheaters. It's good to know that!

If it was the *right* thing to do, then why did the cheaters try to keep it a secret?

The parents who ran & whined to the school board, sheesh they're the rrrrrrrrreal prize in all this. How disgusting. I guess the apple didn't fall far from the tree and the little cherubs learned their lessons from Mommy & Daddy all too well.

Yeah, I'm with you - I have more respect for the kids who re-took the class.

agnes!