Suspect credits spur records probe at Western High

By Emily Richmond

Thursday, April 30, 2009 | 2 a.m.

The School District is investigating irregularities in the academic records of 32 Western High School seniors to determine whether they were given credit for classes they didn’t take, district officials confirmed to the Sun.

The irregularities, brought to the district’s attention by Western High Principal Neddie Alvarez, could delay the graduation of the 32 seniors, or about 10 percent of the school’s class of 2009.

The district is trying to determine whether the problems are the result of human error, incompetence or fraud.

Clark County Schools Superintendent Walt Rulffes said Wednesday that the district’s legal department is assisting with the investigation, which includes “whether employee actions contributed to the situation.”

It appears the seniors were unaware they lacked the requisite academic credits until the investigation was launched, Rulffes said.

Clark County students must complete at least 22.5 credits to earn a diploma. They also must fulfill requirements by subject area, including three units of math, one of which must be algebra.

“Students thought they were on track to graduate and qualify for Millennium Scholarships and now suddenly we tell them they’re not,” Rulffes said. “That’s a big problem.”

About 25 of the students are making up missing classes through the district’s individualized study program and might graduate with their classmates in June. “We’re doing everything possible to resolve the situation and provide students with whatever assistance necessary,” Rulffes said.

In at least one instance, a student’s grade was marked with an “R” — indicating the student was repeating a class — but there was no record of that student having previously taken the course, raising questions about the legitimacy of the credit, officials said.

The academic records of Western’s freshmen, sophomores and juniors are also being scrutinized.

If there was a “systemic breakdown,” Rulffes said, he plans to conduct similar reviews at other high schools.

Rulffes, who notified the School Board of the investigation Wednesday, said he believes Alvarez “inherited the problem.”

Alvarez — who took over as principal from Lillie Pearl Morgan, who retired at the end of the 2008-09 academic year — did not return calls from the Sun seeking comment.

The investigation will likely focus on Western’s guidance counselors, who are primarily responsible for ensuring that students stay on course for graduation.

At the start of the 2007-08 academic year, 4.3 percent of Western’s seniors were behind on their credits for graduation, compared with the districtwide average of 1.9 percent. In 2007, the latest year for which data is available, 14.7 percent of Western’s senior class received certificates of attendance rather than standard diplomas, because they failed to pass the statewide proficiency exam and/or lacked the required credits for graduation. That was more than twice the districtwide average of 6.9 percent.

Western is in its fifth year on the state’s list of schools needing improvement, after student test scores fell short of the No Child Left Behind bench marks. Schools on the “needs improvement” list for six years face sanctions that can include replacement of key personnel, starting with the principal.