Tanque Verde schools officials have found discrepancies in the grades of some high school students enrolled in the district’s digital learning program.
Seventy-nine Tanque Verde High School students’ final course grades did not match the grades and supporting documents of the online course provider, said Claire Place, the district’s spokeswoman.
Those students were enrolled in online courses between summer 2013 and spring 2015 and are currently enrolled at the school. The district is not reviewing the records of students who have graduated or are not enrolled in the district.
“They have their diplomas,” she said. “We don’t feel that it would be of benefit to them to go back.”
A teacher associated with the discrepancies has been identified, she said. The teacher resigned at the beginning of the school year, and a report was filed last week with the state Board of Education.
Tanque Verde is not releasing the teacher’s name because it has not been determined whether the teacher deliberately altered the grades.
The board has not had a chance to review the report, said Charles Easaw, its chief investigator.
“The department does not allow us to have remote access to those records,” he said.
In a typical alleged misconduct case, an investigation and a hearing would take place, then recommendations could be made to suspend or revoke the involved teacher’s certifications based on the findings, he said.
The district first became aware of the problem in August, when administrators discovered a grade discrepancy in one student’s records.
That prompted the district to review the grades of other students enrolled in the online courses.
In most cases, the grades were misreported as better, she said. The differences ranged from “minor to significant.”
The cause of the discrepancy is still being reviewed, Place said.
Tanque Verde is taking measures to correct the grade discrepancies, according to the spokeswoman. A new instructor has been hired to replace the original teacher and the district has put a new oversight system into place that requires at least two employees to cross-check students’ grades.
”We really are trying to do everything we can to restore their records,” Place said. “We’re a district of integrity. It’s definitely of extreme importance to us that we take care of this situation.”
The district sent letters notifying all parents of the problem last Friday, she said. Parents and guardians of affected students can set up an appointment with the school’s principal to determine the course of action to correct the grades.
If the district finds that a student needs to complete additional coursework or testing, the district would cover the cost, Place said. There will also be additional instructional help for those students.
