Many students have a grade or two on their transcript that they wish they could change, but doing so is usually out of the question. However, on Thursday September 18, allegations of widespread grade tampering, affecting an estimated 200 grades and 50 students, were brought by the Seattle School District against Franklin High School.

According to a Seattle Public Schools news release, the “investigation of irregularities in grade changes at Franklin High School has uncovered what appears to be significant violations of standard educational practices, District policies, and in some cases, professional ethics.” The investigation began after tips from both Franklin and District staff, and resulted in the review of hundreds of grades from the ‘02-‘03 school year.

Investigators found that most grades had been changed by Franklin counselors, three of whom are currently on paid administrative leave, instead of the registrar whose job it is to handle grade changes. Frequent violations included straight forward changes from one letter grade to another, changes from a “D” to a “P” (Pass), and adjustments in the number of course credits. Most tampering was allegedly designed to elevate the GPA of students hovering near the 2.0 benchmark required to graduate.

To date, there is no evidence that the grading irregularities at Franklin were common among other Seattle high schools, including Garfield.

Under previous administrations, however, several veteran teachers said that grade tampering at Garfield wasn’t uncommon.

“It wasn’t that they’d change the grade,” said one member of the Science Department, who wished to remain anonymous. “It was more like a whole lot of ‘creative grading.’ [Counselors] would drop a class if the student was failing, and give him a TA position, even if it was past the deadline.”

While discrepancies in the past weren’t uncommon, staff members emphasize that it doesn’t happen anymore. “We’ve tightened up all our procedures,” said Gertrude Hauser, Garfield’s registrar. “There are numerous checks in place.”

Although the administration does not condone grade changes, many teachers said that they are still approached to illegitimately bolster students’ grades, most notoriously by coaches.

“I was approached by [one coach] several days in a row,” said another member of the science department, who wished to remain anonymous, referring to an incident two years ago. “He asked me to change the grade of a special ed student. I said, ‘The student hasn’t earned grades to make this appropriate.’” Whether or not the grade was changed anyway remains a mystery. “I guess that [the grade] was changed, because the student was definitely on the team and I gave them an ‘N’.”

Teachers said they have received complete support from the administration in standing up to coaches. Former Garfield Language Arts teacher and Annual Adviser, Monica Kinsey, who’s now teaching at a school on the Eastside, was phoned by a coach requesting a grade change over a school break but said, “The administration backed me up completely when I said absolutely not.”

In recent years however, the scrutiny over grade changes has become so intense that some teachers have even had trouble changing the grades of students who have legitimately made-up work.

“It’s swung the other way,” said yet another member of the Science Department who wished to remain anonymous. “Even if the student really tried, the administration still questions [you]. The part of grade changing that’s bad has improved, but the part that’s good has deteriorated.”

Other grade changes have come after repeated hounding by pushy parents, who do not accept that their student performed poorly, and instead blame the teacher.

“I’ve changed students’ grades several times because of pushy parents,” said former Language Arts teacher Elizabeth Hepner. “But [the student] still has to do the work.”

A school’s reputation is dependent upon accurate grade reporting. Scandals call into question things like college admissions and personal integrity. Ensuring fair and accurate grading policies remains a top priority for this administration.

“What I can guarantee is that for the last two years at Garfield, any grade changes have taken place with the complete agreement with established District criteria,” said Garfield Principal Susan Dersé.