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Clarksdale teacher's license suspended

Kate Royals
The Clarion-Ledger

A state department of education commission on Wednesday voted to suspend for five years the license of a Clarksdale teacher accused of cheating.

Heidelberg Elementary School teacher Tetra Winters is accused of coaching fourth-graders during the administration of the Mississippi Curriculum Test (MCT-2) in the spring of 2013. She is the second Clarksdale teacher accused of helping students cheat as part of a larger investigation into widespread cheating in the district by the state education department.

The three-member commission's ruling was unanimous.

The licensure commission unanimously ruled to suspend Tetra Winters' teaching license for five years related to charges of cheating.

Winters acted as a test administrator for the MCT-2 for 26 students. Of 22 students who scored proficient or advanced during the language arts portion, three remained at the same level the following year at Oakhurst Intermediate School. Of the 13 students who scored advanced on the math portion, one scored advanced the next year.

The state’s Office of Educator Misconduct in its case also highlighted the extremely high number of wrong-to-right erasures on the students’ test. While there were 338 under Winters’ watch, there were 14 wrong-to-right answer changes when the same students took the test the following year.

Another teacher who was in the classroom with Winters during the administration of the test said she observed Winters coaching students on their responses. If she noticed the child’s answer on a question was incorrect, she would tell them “check your work” until they landed on the right answer.

“Somebody chose the most subtle but most direct way involved where they could say, ‘Oh, I never said anything to a student except check your work,’” attorney Mark Garriga of Butler Snow said in the state’s closing statement.

Garriga also addressed the discussion of Winters being a single mom with three children.

“The sympathy belongs with the 22 students … who were denied what they’re entitled to under the adequate education act. That’s really what this is about,” Garriga said. He said the Office of Educator Misconduct was asking for a suspension of her license for five years “so other students will be spared.”

Winters, who denied any involvement with cheating, had no comment on the outcome of the hearing, but her attorney Preston Rideout, said that they were disappointed and will explore an appeal.

Heidelberg Principal Lawanda Tyler-Jones and Clarksdale Municipal School District Superintendent Dennis Dupree testified on Wednesday that they had no knowledge of cheating or test irregularities. Dupree had conducted an internal investigation after being contacted by the state in the summer of 2013, but he admitted during testimony he interviewed no students.

Dupree said he decided to speak only with the adults involved and had no reason not to trust them when they said nothing had happened.

It was not until almost a year later when The Clarion-Ledger published an article describing the allegations that the state initiated its own investigation.

Winters will have the chance to petition the three-member Commission on Teacher and Administrator Education, Certification and Licensure and Development for reinstatement for her license in five years.

Another Clarksdale teacher, Frances Smith-Kemp, surrendered her license in July after admitting she interfered with students’ test responses on the MCT-2.

Rainas Lee, special assistant attorney general legal director for MDE, said once the state’s investigation is complete, the department will alert the district attorney, who will decide whether to pursue criminal charges.

Contact Kate Royals at (601) 360-4619 or kroyals@gannett.com. Follow @KRRoyals on Twitter.