Not just China and Saudi Arabia. There was a recent thread in the test forum reporting institutionalized cheating on the SAT in Abu Dhabi.
Agree. (And I also said this quite a while ago. 
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Definitely stop test recycling. But on the issue of venue-- the CB is somehow able to provide adequate test security in other countries. Therefore, If the CB had the will to do it, there’s no reason it couldn’t provide the same level of security in China.
Lots of kids depend on being able to take the test overseas, including many American citizens. Making them fly to the US for a 3 hr test is an unreasonable burden.
I don’t think test recycling is a big issue. There are so many tests available that it just isn’t feasible to significantly improve one’s performance by memorizing past tests.
Test recycling is indeed the issue.
The cheaters don’t memorize past tests. Read post#50.
Let’s keep it on topic please. Comments about air pollution, getting paid by Chinese companies and how tourists ar perceived just drag the thread away from the point. They will be deleted.
Back to the original article linked:
Just outrageous.
Surprise, surprise…Tomorrow’s SAT in China cancelled because of cheating.
I don’t really feel too bad about the cancellations and deadlines. No one should be taking their first test now anyway, and you take your chances on tests this late anyway.
If CB can’t guarantee the veracity and integrity of their scores, why would they bother? They’ll just end up delaying the scores and cancelling many of them anyway.
What a shock.
Not.
And wonder what will happen with the weather delays/rescheduled testing here in the US tomorrow.
@jym626 my kids’ test was delayed last year this time from a storm. They had it the next week and were pretty organized about it, including that in the cancellation. I also wonder how bad the storm will be…our schools are closed to all building activty tomorrow already. They don’t host SAT, but if they did, it would be cancelled!
Sorry, this is slightly relevant to the article:
The DD2 found a dog just outside of her UC lab area. The nearest students appeared to be Chinese. So she asked several of those students: “Is this your dog?” The students responded, in what sounded like “Mandarin” to her, and they couldn’t speak English and appeared confused. (She has several friends who speak Mandarin.)
She was relaying this info to me, about finally finding the dog’s owner, but she also made the comment:
“Mom, I am really surprised. How are these grad students understanding the coursework, if they can’t even understand me asking them, ‘is this your dog?’ and they can’t even speak basic English.”
I told her that California needs full pay students so I guess the universities don’t care, whether or not they can understand or speak the language.
How are the student visas issued? Do they have to go into the embassy or consulate for an interview?
What could be worse occasionally is that some universities made these grad students TAs. It is worse than hiring non-tenured-track adjunct professors who are like the second-class citizens who have low esteem on campus. What could be even worse is that some professors whose job in our current university system is mostly about research (it is how they get promoted/rewarded) asked these TAs to prepare test items. I heard of a rumor that the students complained that most challenging part of taking the test is to understand the question.
It is all about the managing the university in the most cost-effective way and screw the students (domestic as well as international) in a big way.
There is a need to fix our college’s funding problem. Without it, it would attract all these ill-equipped, unqualified students for sure (just because we want their money.)
Completely agree mcat2^; this is happening.
Also:
This is happening at my son’s school where the TA’s create and administer the tests. The professors lecture and go away to do their research.
My husband, who is really good at interpreting test questions, was floored by the questions our son was getting for homework that did not relate to the immediate chapter topics. Husband, who has been in the industry, finally figured out what one TA was trying to ask, but said that the TA didn’t appear to understand the topic.
@NoVADad99, I have no idea how they get in.
Maybe that’s why my dd2’s grades are so high?? The competition doesn’t have sufficient English skills?
There are language tests (TOEFL), but they’re widely cheated on too, at least in China.
Okay, the ethno-phobia on this discussion is getting to me. A while ago I was so angry about China bashing that I wrote an article about plagiarism (not quite the topic under discussion, but related). Rather than out myself, let me quote one study: Hayes, Niall, and Lucas D. Introna. “Cul- tural Values, Plagiarism, and Fairness: When Plagiarism Gets in the Way of Learning.” Ethics and Behavior 15 (2005): 213–31.
Hayes and friends were British profs studying postgraduate management students in the U.K. from the U.K., China, pan-Asia (not China), and Greece. They make much of the differences among cultures attitudes toward cheating, basically concluding that the British emphasis on reading, writing, and citation creates model students. BUT if you look at the numbers, the bottom line is people cheat (DUH!!); I will add this is especially true if the stakes are high. Greek, Asian, and Chinese students were more likely to receive help on work (50%, 25%, and 40%, respectively) and judge outside help as not cheating or trivially cheating (50%, 75%, and 50%) than British students. The British students, the ideal of ethical citation after years of instruction, cheat, too: 31% of them had substantial help and 38% judged it not cheating or trivial cheating. The numbers are not so different. Even when you look at the worst number for the Chinese (40% of Chinese students admitted to copying a paragraph or more), still 20% of Asians, 21% of Greeks, and 19% of British students admitted the same. Many students did not judge copying as wrong: 40% of Asians, 30% of Chinese, and 25% of British students judge lengthy copying as not cheating or trivial cheating (219).
Yes, the Chinese are not paradigms of honesty, but neither are the Brits, Asians, or Greeks. Note that almost 40% U.S. college students admit to copying sentences (not quite the same as a paragraph). http://www.plagiarism.org/resources/facts-and-stats/
Yes, I have taught in China, Singapore, and the U.S. There are cultural differences, particularly around helping each other succeed. Helping members of the community succeed is not all bad.
Now go back to acting out your fears of China.
You had some good points up to the “moral high ground” last sentence when you probably lost a lot folks…please can’t everyone just resist the temptation to do that?
Use the Chanel theory. Say your peace, and then delete one thing to avoid going overboard. ;
Thanks @HRSMom, well said.