Florida Teen Hires Civil Rights Lawyer to Fight SAT Cheat Accusation

A Florida high school student has hired a prominent civil rights lawyer after SAT officials refused to validate her college entrance score on suspicion of cheating.

Kamilah Campbell, 18, says she is being wrongly accused of cheating in a retest after a first-round performance that disappointed.

That second attempt, in October, saw the Miami Gardens high school senior improve on her earlier score by 330 points.

But the teen found out her score only when she contacted the SAT testing company after receiving a letter of invalidation.

“She made a 1,230 on the SAT in October,” said Benjamin Crump, a prominent civil rights attorney who now represents the Florida teen.

Speaking at a Jan. 2 news conference reported on by WSVN, Crump added that the testing board was refusing to validate Campbell’s second-round score because her score was “too improved.”

She had achieved 900 in her first score.

“They said her score was flagged, and suggested that she had cheated,” Crump said, and accused the board of trying to damage the teen’s reputation.

“Instead of celebrating her and celebrating her achievement they are trying to assassinate her character,“ Crump said, ”and we won’t stand for that.”

Stellar SAT Score

“We are writing to you because based on a preliminary review, there appears to be substantial evidence that your scores ... are invalid,” the letter said, according to WPLG. “Our preliminary concerns are based on substantial agreement between your answers on one or more scored sections of the test and those of other test takers. The anomalies noted above raise concerns about the validity of your scores.”

A score is never flagged for review solely on score gains, said Zach Goldberg, a spokesman for The College Board, the company that conducts the SAT. He told CNN that withholding exam result validation and proceeding with an investigation is never based just on a high score.

Goldberg told the news outlet in an email that “the letter never references score gains as a reason for her scores being under review.”

‘I Did Not Cheat’

Campbell insists her much-improved exam result is a reflection of grit, not graft.

She retook the exam after investing time and resources in more preparations, CNN reported, including hiring a tutor and getting a copy of The Princeton Review prep book.

“I did not cheat,” Campbell said at Wednesday’s presser. “I studied and I focused to achieve my dreams. It was like a blowback for me because I worked so hard, and I did everything I could do to get ready and get prepared so that I’d know that I could achieve my goal.”

But the testing board is sticking to its guns, pending an investigation.

The Educational Testing Service and the College Board told WSVN in a statement that the review of the test scores occurs when “statistical analyses and other factors determine it is necessary,” adding that the board works with students to ensure “the validity of the test scores following a comprehensive investigation of the evidence.”

Campbell is worried that while if the review drags on too long, it could affect her chances of getting into college or getting a scholarship.

“I was supposed to have my scores turned in to them by Jan. 1, and it’s Jan. 2, and I still don’t have my scores,” said Campbell, “so I don’t know how the application process is going to go for me.”

Goldberg told CNN reviews typically take four to six weeks.

Crump said at the conference the testing company has two weeks to respond to his demand letter calling on The College Board to validate the teen’s score in time for her to be potentially accepted into the Florida State University dance program.