East Bay high school accused of changing grades

OAKLAND — Administrators at Castlemont High School are alleged to have manipulated grades and graduation requirements on an online system, Oakland Unified School District officials confirmed Wednesday.

The district has used the credit recovery program Apex for the past five years to offer struggling students an online alternative to completing required coursework instead of in a traditional classroom setting, according to a news release issued by the district.

Since early in the summer break, the district has received “several complaints” about the use of Apex at Castlemont High, the news release said, and officials began investigating it.

In a story that aired on NBC Bay Area Wednesday, Castlemont teachers — under anonymity — said they had issued failing grades to students, but the program had reissued passing grades after the fact.

The NBC Bay Area story said two teachers filed formal complaints with the district, naming specific staff members and administrators who may have falsified students’ transcripts.

The teachers interviewed by NBC Bay Area said they believed the altered transcripts were an effort by administrators to boost graduation rates at the school. Castlemont has had historically low graduating rates: In 2018, 30 percent of Castlemont seniors failed to graduate. That’s about double the statewide average.

District officials said their internal investigation has “found no evidence to support those allegations.” They are holding a news conference Thursday afternoon to speak more about the investigation, and what is being done in response to the allegations.

Check back for updates; this story is developing.