Brigid in NC Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 OP, I just want to say again how sorry I am for you and your ds. The stories I have read on this thread have just stunned me. Students being turned away by people who know them? What the heck is going on? Has this country lost all common sense? :iagree: It seems like common sense has flown out the window. And as an earlier poster noted, just because a passport has expired doesn't mean it's not "you" anymore. Sheesh! Craziness! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 No kidding. It makes me really angry to all be punished because of the actions of a few. Meanwhile in South Korea, the May SAT test date for the entire country was cancelled because of fraud concerns. Not required for Korea universities, but many students take it in order to apply to US schools. Some students were quoted as having changed their June test sites to locations in Singapore and other countries, just so they could take the test in case it was cancelled again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 If I read the headlines correctly, the May scores from there were cancelled too. I'd be livid. It's really annoying when the actions of a few affect the rest of us (but understandable when they can't get a lock on just the cheaters). More info on South Korea SAT scandal. May test date was cancelled nation wide. A number of test takers were bared from taking the test world wide, under suspicion of cheating. Unfortunately for honest students who just want to take the test and get on with things, there are people who are willing to cheat to get into the school of their dreams, or who are willing to cheat to make money. I think sometimes the requirements that seem particularly strict may be an effort to treat all students the same way. In the S. Korean scandal, actual test booklets were being sold. That implies that the proctors who had authority over them did not control them properly. College Board may be making a bigger deal about not permitting in students without proper id, even if the proctor says they know them. (In other words, proctors behaving improperly may have cost all proctors that level of discretion.) I would not be shocked to see College Board move to photographing every student who signs in for the test in a few years. I wouldn't be surprised even if they started to require a fingerprint from test takers to compare if there was an issue down the road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildcat Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 More info on South Korea SAT scandal. May test date was cancelled nation wide. A number of test takers were bared from taking the test world wide, under suspicion of cheating. Unfortunately for honest students who just want to take the test and get on with things, there are people who are willing to cheat to get into the school of their dreams, or who are willing to cheat to make money. I think sometimes the requirements that seem particularly strict may be an effort to treat all students the same way. In the S. Korean scandal, actual test booklets were being sold. That implies that the proctors who had authority over them did not control them properly. College Board may be making a bigger deal about not permitting in students without proper id, even if the proctor says they know them. (In other words, proctors behaving improperly may have cost all proctors that level of discretion.) I would not be shocked to see College Board move to photographing every student who signs in for the test in a few years. I wouldn't be surprised even if they started to require a fingerprint from test takers to compare if there was an issue down the road. I also wouldn't be surprised to see things advance to the point of fingerprints. That scares me, as I don't like such personal info floating around 'out there', but I don't see an alernative to combat all the cheating. It makes me sick that so many want to cheat, for whatever reason, and the rest of us have to suffer for their actions. If the high stakes testing is going to be so rigid in allowing students into the testing center/room (which I do agree with, but there needs to be allowances for common sense!!), then there also needs to be something done about accomodations/proctors. My kids have tested multiple times (SAT/ACT) and each time there have been issues. Proctors ending the tests early, allowing talking, arguing with a student, and what is a big problem: a test center so cramped that ds had to take a test when the student BEHIND HIM stretched out his legs and tapped on the FRONT leg of ds' desk while the girl in front of him kept dragging her really long hair across his desk & test sheet. Between those two students and MANY kids grossly snorting throughout the test, he found it impossible to concentrate. I guess my point is, there needs to be more looked at, overall, than just admissions rules. Sorry about that tangent.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 Lol, Wildcat, I might top yours! Me and three kids traveling to the US, we live an hour away from the airport, flight at 3 am. Dh drops us off at midnight, I tell him to go on home because he had work the next day. Dd had a renewed US passport, with the UAE residency visa inside, but the stamp from when she last entered the country was in the old passport. Which was back home. Too far to drive and get back in time. It was an immigration issue, so we had checked in already, all the luggage tagged and taken, it was only when we were in immigration that the problem came up. And the agent said, "she can't go" and stared at me, and I stared at him in shock, lol, for like a minute. What does it matter if you don't see the entry stamp? We're leaving! A very, very kind local man came to my rescue, arranged to get our luggage -- they had to go back inside wherever it was on route to the plane, I called dh to come back, called my family in US, and the next day had to call the airline and get new tickets -- with an additional fee for each person. Again, OP, I'm so sorry, I sure do know how painful it is right now! As a side note, I don't really get what difference it makes if the passport was expired, I mean it's just about verifying the person standing there is the person signed up for the exam, isn't it? Kate, Wildcat, and Jen, your stories make me feel much better! I thought I was the only one who did things like that. Ug. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 Asta - In perspective is right. Wow! Cheating is bad, yes, but I, for one, hesitate to judge. I don't know the details of the various cheating situations, but I think one needs to be aware that there are places and situations where the stakes for these high stakes tests are high indeed, deciding who gets to feed their family or who must "se suicide" to reclaim family honour. It is much harder not to cheat if one's life or the lives of one's family don't depend on the scores. Sigh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 Cheating is bad, yes, but I, for one, hesitate to judge. I don't know the details of the various cheating situations, but I think one needs to be aware that there are places and situations where the stakes for these high stakes tests are high indeed, deciding who gets to feed their family or who must "se suicide" to reclaim family honour. It is much harder not to cheat if one's life or the lives of one's family don't depend on the scores. Sigh. The hagwon, i.e. private for profit cram schools, that obtained the test questions and sold them to students are not risking loss of family honor. They are doing this solely to make money and attract the next generation of customers. There is absolutely no excuse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 Asta - In perspective is right. Wow! Cheating is bad, yes, but I, for one, hesitate to judge. I don't know the details of the various cheating situations, but I think one needs to be aware that there are places and situations where the stakes for these high stakes tests are high indeed, deciding who gets to feed their family or who must "se suicide" to reclaim family honour. It is much harder not to cheat if one's life or the lives of one's family depend on the scores. Sigh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 The hagwon, i.e. private for profit cram schools, that obtained the test questions and sold them to students are not risking loss of family honor. They are doing this solely to make money and attract the next generation of customers. There is absolutely no excuse. Then shame on them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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