Camdenton school district is under investigation over allegations of cheating on their middle school’s MAP Test.
The investigation began with a call from a concerned parent in the district who believed the testing protocol had been violated.
Superintendent Tim Hadfield said he is doing everything he can to assist the Department of Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education with the investigation.
“You know, we gotta take stock of what may or may not have happened and if there are items that have been violated we need to take the appropriate course of action whatever that may be,” said Hadfield.
A letter was sent out by the superintendent notifying the staff of several possible violations. These included: providing extra time to students, teachers signaling incorrect answers, and violating the correct test schedule.
Although he said these are just allegations, there are many people being affected by them.
“It’s extra time and effort and worry on the part of I believe a number of folks in the district and also we take a lot of pride in doing things the right way at Camdenton and we want to follow the protocols from our Department of Education,” said Hadfield. He said the school is continuing to gather data, conduct interviews, and work with their legal counsel as well as the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
The department’s spokesperson is Sarah Potter. According to Potter, “They investigated a teacher helping students and also a principal that divided a performance event into two days instead of completing the event in one day so they have a couple of situations going on here.”
Potter said if this was an isolated incident then it is more likely the data can be voided after investigation, but this is not the case with Camdenton Middle School.
Potter said this can affect Camdenton’s accreditation if the allegations are proven to be true. She also said that the department has done their part and it is up to Camdenton to decide what actions they need to take next.