SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The former principal of a Massachusetts charter school has been sentenced to a year of probation for helping students cheat on standardized tests.
Janet Henry-Reilly was sentenced Thursday in U.S. District Court in Springfield. She pleaded guilty in October to mail fraud for falsely certifying that tests had been administered honestly.
The Republican (http://bit.ly/1w5nVdR ) reports that prosecutors say Henry-Reilly was a pawn in a wider conspiracy to help students at the now-closed Robert M. Hughes Academy taking the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System exam.
Henry-Reilly was the only person indicted.
Prosecutors say in 2009 she told teachers to give clues and other tips to students taking the exam.
She said she was under pressure from a member of the school's board of directors, who demanded a boost in test scores to stave off closure.
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Information from: The Springfield (Mass.) Republican, http://www.masslive.com/news/
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