The Cherry Creek School District has its stolen ACT and Advanced Placement tests back, and police have zeroed in on a juvenile male they believe is the lone culprit.
Surveillance video at Cherry Creek High School revealed an individual entering the building late Sunday night and leaving carrying several objects.
According to the district, Greenwood Village Police Tuesday were able to track down and recover not only the stolen tests, but the tools the thief used to break into a “very secure” room in the high school’s basement where the tests were stored.
“I am confident that we have found the sole juvenile involved,” Superintendent Mary Chesley said in a statement.
More than 800 Cherry Creek juniors were supposed to take the ACT test today . The district has rescheduled the ACT test for May 8, and is working with ETS, which distributes the Advanced Placement tests, to determine how to procede with those.
“We do not believe any tests were distributed,” to students, said district spokeswoman Tustin Amole. “We don’t think the test was compromised.”
In Colorado, all high school juniors take the ACT test, which measures student performance in math, science, reading, English and writing. The test is commonly used as an admission criteria by colleges and universities.’
The Advance Placement tests are given to high school students who want to take advanced courses, including those that result in college credit.
Amole said the tests were stored “in a rather isolated part of the basement,” that few people had access to.”It took a lot to breach that door,” she said.
She said district officials will be trying to find out how the juvenile knew where they were kept.
In the meantime, Chesley said, the district is grateful to the Greenwood Village police for pursing the case diligently.
Karen Augé: 303-954-1733 or kauge@denverpost.com
