Grand jury indicts couple in teacher certification testing scheme
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FLORIDIANS EXPECT AND DESERVE TO KNOW THAT THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO WHICH THEY ENTRUST THEIR CHILDREN TO LEARN ARE BEING LED BY TEACHERS AND ADMINISTRATORS WHO PROPERLY EARNED THEIR WAY INTO THE SYSTEM.
Lawrence Keefe, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Florida
Federal prosecutors say a Fort Myers couple orchestrated a test-cheating scheme that involved them stealing and selling the contents of exams used by the state to evaluate and certify Florida teachers and principals.
After a two-year investigation, federal prosecutors zeroed in on Jeremy and Kathleen Jasper, two certified Florida teachers who own a company called NavaEd, as the alleged masterminds of a teacher certification test-cheating enterprise that they say erodes the public’s trust in the state’s certification process.
“Floridians expect and deserve to know that the public schools to which they entrust their children to learn are being led by teachers and administrators who properly earned their way into the system,” said Lawrence Keefe, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, whose office is prosecuting the case.
A 65-page indictment, issued by a federal grand jury on Dec. 1 and unsealed Thursday, charges the couple with racketeering conspiracy, 108 counts of wire fraud, conspiracy to commit theft of trade secrets and three counts of theft of trade secrets.
Prosecutors say the couple would register to take the Florida Teacher Certification Exam and the Florida Educational Leadership Examination, memorize questions and answers in the tests so they could share the contents with customers and turn a profit.
Because they electronically certified that they would not provide others with any contents of the tests when registering for the tests, prosecutors say the couple committed wire fraud. Even if they obtained the information by memory, the state’s testing rules say that is prohibited.
At one point, the Florida Department of Education, which oversees all testing activities, blocked the Jaspers from taking certification exams “due to concerns about testing anomalies and fraudulent activity,” according to the indictment.
Once that happened, prosecutors say the couple instructed employees and independent contractors to continue the scheme: take the test, memorize the contents and share after leaving the testing center.
NavaEd republished the information “verbatim and almost verbatim” into publications that were sold “worldwide” through the company’s website, Amazon and Shopify, according to the indictment.
In a statement Friday afternoon, the company denied all allegations and said it is “proud” of its efforts to assist teachers who are entering the profession.
“With respect to the filings in the Northern District of Florida, we maintain our innocence and we intend to defend the case vigorously to defeat these unfounded charges,” the statement said.
SOME HAPPY CUSTOMERS
The company, which has been operating since 2016, also offered one-on-one tutoring sessions and training seminars online and in-person throughout Florida.
Some of those customers left glowing reviews on the company’s Facebook page. They included praise for a NavaEd book that they said was “100% identical and close to the test” they took for a Florida teaching certificate in Exceptional Student Education.
Another reviewer said: “NavaEd not only teaches the content, but they also teach tips and tricks to beat the test!! Highly recommended!!”
While the indictment alleges a far-reaching customer base, prosecutors have not indicated how many Florida educators or administrators have used the company’s service for state-required certification exams.
“This is a matter that I would represent as one that goes from Miami to Pensacola to Jacksonville and all in between,” Keefe said in an interview Thursday.
Keefe said his office’s public trust unit is interested in identifying and determining the extent to which the state’s educational certification process has been “compromised.” However, he said he believes the vast majority of Florida teachers and school leaders are competent and honest people doing “great and essential work.”
As of Thursday evening, state records show the company remains active. And it is unclear whether the Florida Department of Education, which has helped prosecutors in the investigation, has warned local school officials about the company’s alleged enterprise.
Department spokeswoman Taryn Fenske said Friday the department has spent the past year working to replace the stolen exam questions with new content “to ensure the integrity of the teacher certification exams.”
Fenske said the accusations the Jaspers face are “abhorrent, unacceptable and embarrassing.”
“The extreme misuse of these test questions is a direct slap in the face to Florida educators who work hard every day to instill strong moral values and academic integrity into the lives, and character, of our students,” she said, noting the department will continue to work with prosecutors to “bring these wrongdoers to justice.”
When asked if any teachers or principals could have their certifications revoked as a result of the federal case, Fenske said the department’s focus is on the allegations against NavaEd.
SOUTH FLORIDA DISTRICTS PROMOTE SERVICE
Some school districts, including Broward and
Palm Beach, have promoted NavaEd as a testing resource for educators who need to complete the staterequired teaching certifications, public records show.
Palm Beach State College has also featured NavaEd as a resource for students who have yet to pass the General
Knowledge Test, a requirement before transferring into a Florida education bachelor’s degree program or a professional educator’s certificate.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin M. Keen, the lead prosecutor in the case, said the allegations raise concerns “about the quality of the education that children in Florida are going to receive.”
Keen said the U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Florida Department of Education have worked with prosecutors to gather evidence in the case and “connect all these dots.”