<p>I agree with TheGFG - one other option: Peer pressure - I talked with my daughter about this and she has seen this situation at her school. The pressure to succeed there is so high that no students want other students to have an unfair advantage. What she has seen work is that the non-cheaters band together and confront the cheater group. They take care of it among themselves - this takes some leadership/courage among the non-cheater group but you are being harmed by this so you need to step up and do something. She was surprised that no one had brought this issue up for discussion in class to clarify the issue - for example, a non-cheater asking "Mr. Teacher, is it ok if we use old tests to study for your exams?"</p>
<p>When I attended college, my sorority had 10 years of tests on file. Alot of these tests were handed back to students and recycled. The material was the same-just a different version from time to time. We used these as study guides. I'm pretty sure the profs. were aware of this. So who is really at fault? (As far as the OP-I'd speak to the GC for advice and remain anonymous)</p>
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They're only hurting themselves as they won't understand the material they're being taught as well, and they'll likely feel guilty about doing it in the future.
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<p>If only that were true. If there's any kind of a curve in the class the cheaters are taking the top places. If recommendations are being written the non-cheaters won't get as good ones. If there are math awards or scholarships being given out the cheaters are likely to get them. I wish all school had honor codes that made it clear that it's your responsibilty to report cheating.</p>
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<blockquote> <p>'m a fan of using old exams as study tools, but this instance does seem to me to be cheating, since the students involved are apparently doing little work other than memorizing the correct answers.<<</p> </blockquote>
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<p>Using old exams is not cheating--the tests are out there in the public domain (although not readily available to all, it seems) and are fair game to help with test prep. In fact, when I went to law school, professors had collections of old exams in the library for students to look at in preparing for the final. Calling the other students cheaters only clouds the issue.</p>
<p>The problem is that the teacher hasn't realized that he needs to make new test questions. He seems pretty naive--if you know past tests are out there, you need to come up with a new test! I don't like the idea of not being able to keep your old tests...I often studied from my old tests.</p>
<p>I would have hoped that someone from the group that had the test would have had the integrity to tell the teacher that he really needs to make new test questions since half of the class was studying from the old tests.</p>
<p>That obviously hasn't happened. . .maybe I'm the naive one.</p>
<p>The alternative is to let the teacher know that members of the class have access to old tests and, in all fairness, could he make the old tests available to everyone in the class so as to level the playing field for all. No allegation of cheating should be involved. I think that this is an issue of academic fairness that can be taken up with the GC/principal if the teacher blows you off. I seriously doubt that the teacher would be anything other than mortified.</p>
<p>And this problem is not just a high school problem. Maybe Marite can remember the details, but there was a physics professor at Harvard who hadn't realized the some of the questions on a recent test were recycled from past tests. One study group had managed to get a hold of the past test and so had a leg up on those who hadn't studied from the past test. The professor ended up discounting the worth of the test in the overall grade.</p>
<p>I have to disagree with your point #3, theGFG, regarding administrators not caring. A guidance counselor is not the same as the true administrator - the Principal. While I can see one of the GC's at our HS not acting on something like this, I am sure that the Principal and Vice Principal would quickly call the teacher to action.</p>
<p>One other point Hepstar, is that you sound sure that your friends would know that you were the one ratting them out. However, you also said that there are other students that are not cheating but know about it. I would think that the cheaters would not really be able to pinpoint which one of you spilled the beans. Also, do you think you could possibly get another upright student or two from your class to talk to the teacher with you? There is truth to the cliche about strength in numbers.</p>
<p>I've been reading this with great interest. My gut feeling is that if the identity of the accuser were known or seriously suspected, others could make his life a living hell for the next six months. Who needs that? How about an anonymous note that doesn't refer to a specific class (assuming that the teacher has others), saying something along the lines of "imagine for a minute that you use the same exams from year to year and only some students have access to prior tests. How would you fix this situation to make your class fair to everyone."</p>
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The alternative is to let the teacher know that members of the class have access to old tests and, in all fairness, could he make the old tests available to everyone in the class so as to level the playing field for all. No allegation of cheating should be involved. I think that this is an issue of academic fairness that can be taken up with the GC/principal if the teacher blows you off. I seriously doubt that the teacher would be anything other than mortified.
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<p>This is my favorite solution, given that you could argue that what's going on isn't exactly cheating, but is unfair to those in the class who don't have access to the old tests.</p>
<p>Since Hepster says that notifying the teacher or other school official is not an option, doesn't this make any further posts to this thread rather futile?</p>
<p>First of all, I think that it is clearly dishonest to use old exams identical to the ones that you will be given unless the teacher clearly specifiaes that this is OK. While the first time these students did this, it may have been innocent, once they continued to do so it became unethical. There are times that teachers make old exams available. If this teacher didn't do so, than he probably does not assume that students are using old tests to study - a foolish assumption, but an understandable one (not all people save their old tests once the class is over. For the tests to get out, those who do would have to have younger siblings taking the same course, and both would have to think it acceptable to use them).
I think you are making the situataion worse than it is. As I see it, if you decide to do the right thing, there are several possible outcomes:</p>
<p>1) The teacher does nothing, either because he doesn't beleive you or because he doesn't care. If he doesn't care, than you can ask the teacher if he minds you using the old tests to study from - if he doesn't, than you can get the same advantagae, and tell other non-cheaters to do the same. If he simply refuses to believe you, than the situation hasn't changed, so you're no worse off.
2) Once you explain your worries about the reactions of other students, he changes the tests wtihout directly confronting the students or explaining why he did this. People wonder if he got suspicious, and may float the idea that someone ratted them out, but don't jumpt to that conclusion.
3) People suspect that someone ratted them out, either just because of the test changes, or because the teacher confronts the class. They confront you about it, you lie and say it wasn't you. They remain suspicious, but no enough to ostracize you.
4). They confront you about it, you aren't willing to lie, and so they become angry. Since you didnt' name names, no one is individually punished or hurt by your actions, though, so I assume that they will eventually get over it. If your friends are real friends, even genuine anger shouldn't lead them to completely shun you over a question of integrity. I know I disagreed with my friends about various issues, but if they understood that I was acting or speaking based on a certain personal principle, they respected me enough not to let it seriously damage the friendship.
5). Everyone is so angry at you that you have a miserable rest of the year.</p>
<p>Honestly, I think that 5 is the least likely scenario. There are very few things that are completely unforgiveable. If you got specific students in trouble, that would be one thing, but just getting the tests changed is, in my opinion, understandable enough that the anger won't last for more than a few weeks. Good luck, and do the right thing!</p>
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Since Hepster says that notifying the teacher or other school official is not an option, doesn't this make any further posts to this thread rather futile?
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<p>I keep hoping Hepstar will change his/her mind.</p>
<p>Hepster, I don't know what advice to give but I do want you to know that it happens at other schools and that it is horrible for the non-cheaters. You are far from alone. </p>
<p>I hope that you find good, workable solutions.</p>
<p>If the tests are graded on a curve you have good cause to level the playing field and request that the whole class have access to all study (previous exams) guides. If there is no curve and your grade is based on your own numerical average, your grade reflects nothing but your own work, and there is no reason to take action. The AP test results will reveal who has and who has not learned the material. Good luck.</p>
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<p>I agree also, especially since you are not calling anyone a "cheater". In his original post, Hepstar considers his classmates cheats and doesn't want to rat out a cheater. But if the teacher just makes up new tests and doesn't make a big announcement about why he is doing it, who is to know who told what to whom? </p>
<p>The others know that they have an advantage over you and as soon as the teacher starts making new tests up, the others will know that the gravy train has run its course.</p>
<p>I would change my "public position" on whether this is cheating or not. If you have spoken about it before, alter your position and say, "I was wrong. It seems like a good idea to use previous years tests as study guides." </p>
<p>Then ask the teacher if you can get some copies of the previous years tests. Indicate that some of the kids have them as study guides and you 'd like to put forth that extra effort to see if you can raise your performance level. </p>
<p>Don't do this unless you have reasonable acting ability.</p>
<p>I agree with Washdad......this might be a case of violating academic integrity by the kids doing it, but the perpetrator never actively moved to initiate it. At an honor code school you'd get thrown out, but obviously at other places they aren't quite as concerned.</p>
<p>It's not just the old tests. I assume that the privileged group has the old tests with corrected answers. Using old tests as study guides is great; using old tests with answers as study guides is great. But old tests, with answers, that are reliably the same as the new tests aren't study guides. That's Newspeak if anything is.</p>
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But old tests, with answers, that are reliably the same as the new tests aren't study guides. That's Newspeak if anything is.
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<p>Well duh, but that's why the teacher if he has any sense will start changing the tests. If my older son had legible handwriting I'd find nothing wrong with my younger son looking at his old corrected tests for practice - the real problem is that the teacher apparently has never thought that those old tests might be used this way. You know this would be a good question for the Caltech ethical dilemma question! You aren't applying there are you Hepstar? LOL</p>
<p>JHS high school is right. These kids aren't studying with these old tests. They are just memorizing the corrected answers off of them. They know exactly what to do for each question, step by step. Therefore, what they are doing is definitely cheating. They still don't understand much of what we do in class, therefore they obviously aren't using the old tests as study materials.</p>
<p>Washdad, I have no acting ability whatsoever, so your theory will not work. Thanks for the suggestion though.</p>
<p>Even though some of my friends are cheating, they are still my firends. No one is perfect and what they are doing is obviously a mistake. However, I don't hold it against them. Like myself, they were struggling in the class, but succumbed to the temptation of an easy way to ace tests. It is only human nature that people would do this. These kids are very competitive and will do just about anything to gain an edge. I was very close to doing it myself, but I had an uneasy feeling in my conscience.</p>
<p>I actually hold it more against the teacher. He should realize that something is not normal when kids who were getting 60s and 70s, all of a sudden began to get 90s while still being lost in class. This teacher has been teaching for over 40 years. He should have enough experience and common sense to realize that there is something going on, especially when the valedictorian is being beaten on a consistent basis by kids who hardly answer any questions in class. He should also have the sense to change the test questions each year. If he had just done this, there wouldn't even be an issue.</p>
<p>(By the way, I have no intention of applying to Caltech, especially with my meager BC Calculus average. My SAT is a bit low for Caltech too.)</p>
<p>Hepstar, since you are uncomfortable with acting, I would suggest that you write up a letter (using your computer & printer, not handwritten) -- don't sign it -- and simply relate the FACTS without using the word "cheating" and make sure the teacher gets it, even if you have to put it in an envelope and stick it in the mail to avoid anyone else seein you transmit it. </p>
<p>I would suggest that the letter say something like:</p>
<p>"Some students in BC Calculus are using copies of tests given in a previous year to prepare for exams, and simply studying and memorizing the answers to specific problems from the earlier tests. These students appear to have an unfair advantage over others. This has been going on since (month)." </p>
<p>That statement would certainly merit some investigation, and if you think the teacher is unlikely to investigate it, you could even send a copy to the school's principal or whoever would be appropriate to also receive notice. </p>
<p>I do think that it is odd that the teacher hasn't caught on, in any case. Wouldn't the steps to solving a calculus problem vary somewhat with the individual, depending on their particular thought process and how they express things? I mean -- I don't have a clue to how to do calculus, but I know that down at the level of basic algebra, there is likely to be variation in the way each student writes out the steps. So I would think a teacher ought to be very suspicious of right answers that also happen to be written out the same exact way on each paper.</p>
<p>The way students solve problems is pretty uniform in calculus. We are supposed to solve them the AP way, which is what these "cheaters" are doing (I am still going to refer to them as cheaters).</p>
<p>As for the answers looking exacly the same, the kids don't do it that way. As ironic as this may seem since the kids are rule-breakers, the kids in BC Calculus are the most intelligent students in the school for the most part. They know that the teacher will catch on if they all have the same exact answers. I personally am not sure, but I think that they purposely get different parts of questions wrong so no one would suspect any form of cheating.</p>
<p>I agree with what JHS said in post #39. Send a letter to let the principal and all know what's happening, but wait until the end of the year. That way it's prevented (hopefully) from happening in future years, and you don't suffer.</p>