Some parents were unaware of the cheating scandal and said they were outraged to learn that an Inquirer investigation found that the district has cultivated a culture where cheating has been encouraged by teachers and administrators.

"I want my kid to earn a degree," said Patrice Shepherd, 23, who has a third grader at Wiggins. "If you're giving him the answers, then you're weakening my child's brain. You have to work hard to get what you want and not cheat your way through."

Maribel Gonsalez, 30, said she transferred her son Zaier, 10, to Wiggins because of its impressive test scores. Now she wants to enroll him in a charter school.

State education officials notified the district this month that it must explain unusual 2006 test scores at six Camden elementary schools that showed drastic gains or sharp declines from 2005.

The schools are Wilson and Wiggins, Catto, Cream, Sharp, and Sumner Elementary Schools. Catto's language-arts scores jumped, while the others had big drops.

"People have become a little suspicious," Fitts admitted. "We have a responsibility to provide an answer."

To read more about the Camden school testing controversy, visit http://go.philly.com/camdenscores