Carruth said he was surprised but "disheartened" by Borden's report.

"I don't know how he can conclude that my statements were not true," Carruth said last night. "If they're saying there was pressure from [former Superintendent Annette D.] Knox on down to keep scores high, it's like he's saying two different things."

Camden's state standardized test scores for the 2004-05 school year came under scrutiny in February when The Inquirer questioned suspiciously high results at two elementary schools.

The state, addressing those concerns in a report on its investigation in August, blamed "adult interference" for high scores at those two schools. The state did not accuse anyone of cheating. It singled out the two elementary schools' principals and a literacy coach for pressuring teachers to ignore rules.

Specifically, it said H.B. Wilson Elementary School principal Michael Hailey had directed teachers "to do everything necessary to have students pass the tests." Hailey denied to investigators that there had been breaches of test security, but has declined public comment.

A state grand jury is conducting a wide-ranging probe into Camden including cheating allegations, spending, and bonuses received by Knox. Knox has maintained that the scores are legitimate, and that she followed spending and bonus procedures as she understood them.

The investigators are asking about when alleged cheating began to surface, teachers who have been interviewed say. The district has turned over thousands of documents.

Several teachers from H.B. Wilson and U.S. Wiggins have been called to testify Monday before the grand jury in Trenton, according to a teacher who received a subpoena.

The probe appears to focus on the dramatic drops in scores between 2005 and 2006, when the state sent monitors to oversee the tests, according to several people who spoke with state investigators. Charges could include official misconduct and tampering with records.

After the state sent monitors to oversee security during tests administered in March 2006, math and language arts scores plummeted in the district.

Carruth contends that Pagan summoned him to his office in January 2005. Carruth said Pagan told him to slice open a copy of the test, develop an answer key, and change wrong answers after students took the test.

Carruth has said that he did not participate in the alleged scheme, and that he contacted state officials because he feared the same thing could happen in 2006.

Pagan has denied the accusation and maintained that he never spoke with Carruth about rigging results.

The goal was to improve the passing rate in math over the previous year. Carruth later said he found the 2005 results suspicious: Brimm posted a 21-point gain in math in 2005 from the previous year.

The Camden County Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation of Carruth's allegations in the summer but never released any results, according to those familiar with it.

The federal No Child Left Behind Act has put tremendous pressure on school districts to improve test scores, and failure to improve can result in a state takeover. In the fall, the state labeled Camden a failing district due to low test scores.

Brimm, a magnet school for students interested in medical careers, has graduated some of Camden's top students.

Borden publicly praised the Brimm students who were not implicated in any of the cheating allegations. "There is much to be proud of at Brimm and that should not be lost in these findings," he said.

In November, the school board filed charges that could lead to the firing of Frederick Clayton, a suspended Brimm guidance counselor accused of changing 200 grades on transcripts. It suspended Camden High principal Al Davis last month amid a probe into allegations that he was involved in changing grades for athletes.