(August 16) Three high schools in the Colton Joint Unified School District and one high school in the San Bernardino City Unified School District were among 242 schools in California where students potentially had advance access to material in or relating to the state’s Standardized Testing and Reporting assessment examinations this spring, according to state education officials.
Despite the leaking of questions or other contents of the statewide tests and their subsequent distribution over the internet and through social media, education officials expressed the belief there was not widespread cheating on the tests that skewered results.
The California Standard Tests were formulated by California educators and test developers specifically for California to measure students’ progress toward achieving California’s state-adopted academic content standards in English-language arts, mathematics, science, and history-social science, which describe what students should know and be able to do in each grade and subject tested.
Students from at least 16 state public schools leaked questions from California’s STAR tests, mostly by means of social media networks during the March 1 to June 30 test period. In addition, state education officials identified 226 other schools at which test materials other than questions, such as test booklet covers, were posted on social media.
Most, if not all, of the material in question was compromised by means of photos or videos of the tests and testing materials taken via cell phones in the possession of the students. In hundreds of  cases, the videos and photos were uploaded to Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
Once Department of Education officials were informed of the breaches, they undertook efforts to have the various social media remove the posts. STAR test results were released earlier this week, bringing with it notification of advance exposure of the test material.
Test-taking protocol involves instructing students to turn off any mobile communication devices and to store them with their possessions in backpacks, or, where they are available, lockers, away from where the tests are administered. Districts generally do not frisk students before allowing them into the testing room.
When it released the statewide STAR test results, the California Department of Education flagged those schools where there was a known compromise.
At present, the Department of Education has been unable to document any specific cases of cheating on the tests linked to the postings.
Whether massive cheating on the tests had occurred remains unclear and a matter of opinion and conjecture. Conclusions as to how widespread the cheating may have been vary with those you talk to. Those with status and a stake in the matter, the Department of Education, school districts, the involved schools and their officials, maintain the testing outcomes were unaffected by the postings or the advance sharing of questions. Students, including those attending school where the posting occurred, drew the opposite conclusion.
“If you know the questions before you take the test, I guarantee you will do better,” said one.
Materials were posted by students at Colton High, Grand Terrace High and Bloomington High in the Colton Joint Unified School District.
Materials were posted by students at Indian Springs High in the San Bernardino City Unified School District.
School officials have learned the identities of most of the local students involved in the postings. The Indian Springs High students involved in the incident have been disciplined.
Statewide,  students averaged a score of 344.8 on overall English language arts testing.
At Grand Terrace High students averaged a score of 316 on the English language arts tests.
At Colton High, students averaged a score of 322.2 on the English language arts tests.
At Bloomington High, students averaged a score of 320.3 on the English language arts tests
At Indian Springs High students averaged 328 on the ninth grade and 317.5 on the tenth grade English language arts tests.
Statewide students averaged a score of 318 on the ninth grade general mathematics test.
At Grand Terrace High students averaged 288 on the ninth grade general mathematics test.
At Colton High students averaged 293.8 on the ninth grade general mathematics test.
At Bloomington High students averaged 303.7 on the ninth grade general mathematics test.
At Indian Springs High students averaged 253.7 on the ninth grade general mathematics test.
Statewide students averaged a score of 334.1 on overall algebra 1 testing.
At Grand Terrace High students averaged a score of 299.9 on algebra 1 tests.
At Colton High, students averaged a score of 301.4 on algebra 1 tests.
At Bloomington High, students averaged a score of 290.4 on algebra 1 tests.
At Indian Springs High students averaged 267.5 on the algebra 1 tests.
Statewide students averaged a score of 320.8 on overall geometry testing.
At Grand Terrace High students averaged a score of 308.6 on geometry tests.
At Colton High, students averaged a score of 301.3 on geometry tests.
At Bloomington High, students averaged a score of 300.3 on geometry tests.
At Indian Springs High students averaged 277.3 on geometry tests.
Statewide students averaged a score of 325.2 on overall algebra 2 testing.
At Grand Terrace High students averaged a score of 303 on algebra 2 tests.
At Colton High, students averaged a score of 306.5 on algebra 2 tests.
At Bloomington High, students averaged a score of 337.4 on algebra 2 tests.
At Indian Springs High students averaged 296.1 on the algebra 2 tests.
Statewide students averaged a score of 334.1 on overall world history testing.
At Grand Terrace High students averaged a score of 319.9 on world history tests.
At Colton High, students averaged a score of 303.5 on world history tests.
At Bloomington High, students averaged a score of 314.4 on world history tests.
At Indian Springs High students averaged 210.9 on the world history tests.
Statewide students averaged a score of 348.5 on overall U.S. history testing.
At Grand Terrace High students averaged a score of 324.6 on U.S. history tests.
At Colton High, students averaged a score of 322 on U.S. history tests.
At Bloomington High, students averaged a score of 327.1 on U.S. history tests.
At Indian Springs High the U.S. history test results were not available.
Statewide students averaged a score of 354 on overall biology testing.
At Grand Terrace High students averaged a score of 344.4 on biology tests.
At Colton High, students averaged a score of 314.8 on biology tests.
At Bloomington High, students averaged a score of 334.4 on biology tests.
At Indian Springs High students averaged 329.3 on biology tests.
Statewide students averaged a score of 342.9 on overall chemistry testing.
At Grand Terrace High students averaged a score of 320.4 on chemistry tests.
At Colton High, students averaged a score of 303.5 on chemistry tests.
At Bloomington High, students averaged a score of 303.1 on chemistry tests.
At Indian Springs High students averaged 329.7 on chemistry tests.