Tampa teen charged with FCAT fel

["Gloria Pipkin" <gpipkin@i-1.net>]

"It's an unusual charge," said Lt. Rod Reder, a spokesman for the
Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. "But this is a big test. There's a
lot of emphasis on it. It's an official state-certified test of high
importance."

 
http://stpetersburgtimes.com/2004/03/06/Tampabay/Tampa_teen_charged_wi.s
html
 

Tampa teen charged with FCAT felony



The 14-year-old at Leto High School is caught with a stolen test
booklet. Deputies charge him with theft of intellectual property.


By TIM GRANT, Times Staff Writer
Published March 6, 2004

  _____  



TAMPA - A 14-year-old student was arrested on a felony charge Thursday
after he was caught with a stolen FCAT booklet.

The discovery came as Leto High School students were changing classes
and a school administrator noticed one student walking down a crowded
school hallway holding an official FCAT booklet.

"It's got a distinctive cover, and the student was carrying it in an
open fashion," said Mark Hart, spokesman for the Hillsborough School
District. Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test materials are normally
kept under lock and key.

The ninth-grader admitted he stole the booklet, authorities said.

Law enforcement officers normally don't make felony arrests when
students are caught cheating on school exams. But the significance of
the FCAT test makes this incident a state crime, investigators said.

Hillsborough sheriff's deputies charged the 14-year-old with theft of
intellectual property, a felony. He also was charged with burglary and
petit theft. The St. Petersburg Times is not naming him because of his
age. 

"It's an unusual charge," said Lt. Rod Reder, a spokesman for the
Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. "But this is a big test. There's a
lot of emphasis on it. It's an official state-certified test of high
importance."

The student told school officials that after completing the reading
portion of his FCAT Tuesday in the school gym, he did not leave by the
same route as other test-takers.

He took a different exit and seized an opportunity to take a copy of the
math portion of the FCAT, which would be given the next day.

While the student had the math questions in advance, he did not have the
answers. He said he completed the math test after school Tuesday and
transferred his answers to the test booklet he was provided Wednesday
during an FCAT session at school.

"We've interviewed other students, faculty and staff. It doesn't appear
that anyone else got a look at that booklet in advance of Wednesday's
math administration," Hart said. He added that the test of the accused
student appears to be the only test that will be disqualified.

"However, if we see anything unusual when the test results come in, we
may have to take a look at it again," Hart said.

The student was turned over to juvenile justice authorities. He has been
suspended for 10 days, and school officials say he could face more
disciplinary action, including being referred to an alternative school
program or being expelled for the rest of the school year.

Reder, the Sheriff's Office spokesman, wouldn't say whether the juvenile
had an arrest record.

All Florida students must pass the 10th grade FCAT in reading and math
to graduate from high school. Students get six chances to pass.

Last year, 12,000 Florida students were denied diplomas because they
failed one or both exams.

But it's rare for students to be accused of cheating. More often,
teachers are accused of coaching students or changing answers.

The Florida Department of Education is now hand-examining student answer
sheets to look for erased answers and other marks that may signal
cheating.

Sometimes, entire schools come under investigation. An Orlando high
school was accused this week of trying to boost its FCAT scores by
purging low-performing students from its attendance rolls.

Ironically, the Leto student had little on the line when he took the
test this week. As a ninth-grader, he is required to take the FCAT, but
he faced no penalty for doing poorly.

"For the ninth-grader, it's a question of whether he was performing at
grade level and whether the school was making progress," Hart said.

The FCAT is an academic yardstick the state uses to assign letter grades
to a school and to determine which schools deserve to share in millions
of dollars in state bonuses.

The Hillsborough School District's office of testing and evaluation will
compile a report concerning the Leto incident. The report will be sent
to the district's superintendent and its Office of Professional
Standards. They will decide whether to take additional action against
the student.

Leto principal Daniel Bonilla sent a letter to parents Friday describing
the arrest. He explained that no other students' test scores are likely
to be affected.

"In addition to being unethical and subject to disciplinary action,
cheating on the FCAT is a felony under state law," the letter said.

- Tim Grant can be reached at 269-5311 or at grant@sptimes.com