Principal Admits Changing Grades

DENVER (AP) â€” A high school principal admitted faking grades to keep students from flunking out because they missed classes. <br><br>Linda Hoeksema, principal of the Contemporary Learning Academy, a

Friday, January 26th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

DENVER (AP) â€” A high school principal admitted faking grades to keep students from flunking out because they missed classes.

Linda Hoeksema, principal of the Contemporary Learning Academy, a public school for struggling youths, said fabricated grades were submitted for 82 of 350 students in the first quarter of this school year.

``I did it with my heart and my gut, and I didn't use my head,'' Hoeksema said.

A Denver Public Schools computer detected the falsified grades. Hoeksema was removed from two programs she ran for students in trouble with the law, but she said she hopes officials will let her remain at the Contemporary Learning Academy. Hoeksema said she submitted the falsified grades because of a district policy that automatically fails students who miss more than four sessions of a required course in a nine-week period. They can miss up to 10 sessions in an elective.

Instead of failing a required class, the students were shown passing an elective class they did not take but that covered similar material. The affected students must retake and pass the required class to graduate.

Marjorie Tepper, the district's assistant superintendent for secondary education, said Hoeksema's actions violated district policy but had some educational merit. The district was considering breaking required courses into smaller chunks, and that was the practical effect of Hoeksema's action, she said.

Hoeksema said efforts to improve the self-esteem of the troubled youngsters worked. ``Attendance has really turned around. Completion rates have turned around,'' she said.

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On the Net:

Denver Public Schools: http://www.denver.k12.co.us