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The test was a joke.

That’s how several graduates of a Bronx high school under investigation for inflating test and graduation rates have characterized a Regents exam they took nearly two years ago.

During the 2010 Algebra 2/Trigonometry Regents exam at the Theatre Arts Production Company School, the students said they were the beneficiaries of a rogue proctor who repeatedly broke rules during the duration of their testing period. The proctor, their teacher during the school year, roamed the room quietly and alerted students to questions they had answered incorrectly. When students asked for help, she responded with individualized attention. Students said they were allowed to talk openly and compare answer sheets.

In at least one case, the proctor even helped a top-performing student cheat when he hadn’t asked for help.

“I handed it in and she handed it right back to me,” the student said. “She told me, ‘These four questions are wrong. You should change them.’”

The exam experience was so well known around the school that it became an inside joke because almost everyone passed and moved onto calculus for their senior years.

“The students joked about it because everyone knew it was going on,” said another student who took the test. “She would pass by, look at our papers, and if we had the wrong answer down, she would point to the right answer and then quickly walk away.”

Eventually the exam became an open secret among students and even other teachers, the students said. It even became fodder on a Facebook group for the school. (more…)