<p>Here's the Washington Post's account...
<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/18/AR2007051801861.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/18/AR2007051801861.html</a></p>
<p>Dude the kid in the ninja suit is hilarioooous haha</p>
<p>I really don't think cheating is that big a deal for tests in high school - its dishonorable, surely, but the kids who usually cheat on these sort of things lose pride and don't care about school that much. And if they need to cheat on a test, they probably aren't that bright, and won't go to a top school anyways. </p>
<p>For example, in my physics class in HS, everyone cheated because the quizzes were impossible just to try and pass the class. I don't think its a big deal - moreso just funny and kind of pathetic.</p>
<p>However, cheating on a major test like an AP test is bad because it hurts kids outside of that class.</p>
<p>Also, the kid who wants his principal to get these supposed cheaters into trouble seems REALLY lame. It seems like he's taking it upon himself to get his classmates into trouble - I guess he has a point with stricter proctoring and telling teachers to be more vigilant, but attempting to get individual students into trouble must mean that he doesn't really get along with anyone else. And I value social skills more than studying-skills, so I think that reflects poorly on him.</p>
<p>I can't believe people write articles about this crap....</p>
<p>Honestly, who really cares? I'm sure cheating goes on all the time...</p>
<p>thethoughtprocess: "Also, the kid who wants his principal to get these supposed cheaters into trouble seems REALLY lame. It seems like he's taking it upon himself to get his classmates into trouble - I guess he has a point with stricter proctoring and telling teachers to be more vigilant, but attempting to get individual students into trouble must mean that he doesn't really get along with anyone else. And I value social skills more than studying-skills, so I think that reflects poorly on him."</p>
<p>Your attitude is absurd. If this were just some minor cheating on a little test, I'd agree with you. But (apparently) this is EXTREMELY major, chronic cheating, enough to be covered by the Washington Post. And you're criticizing a student for not being friendly to the perpetrators, with this apparently being a poor show of "social skills." What the hell? Did it ever occur to you that maybe cheating is the epitome of being antisocial? </p>
<p>What if this weren't cheating, but racism, and a student started criticizing the racists? How poor would his "social skills" be then?</p>
<p>Only on CC...</p>
<p>A'ight, sorry man...but most of the kids I envision from my high school that would want to get other students into direct trouble are kids that were losers. </p>
<p>I don't think you can compare racism to cheating on a test in school...but thats just me. I think one is worse than the other. But I guess since this is CC...</p>
<p>Cheating equates to 'breaking the law' in my book...the academic/school spirit of the law. It's not a new thing either. I attended a top public hs in the late 70's and watched (as a frosh) as junior students actually changed their grades in the teachers grade book (teacher stepped out of the class)...these students went on to be leaders of school organizations...including Student Body Treasurer!! Wonder if he worked for ENRON! They cheated their way up the ladder and probably are cheaters to this day in their personal and professional lives. Integrity is paramount in our educational system, I am dismayed at the many times I've read threads to this effect (cheating) and have read time and time again that "this is life, get over it". I can only hope that cheaters when caught in earlier grades are dealt with harshly...a teacher at our local middle school just caught about 10 kids changing their answers on a 'self-corrected' test (which is dumb to begin with, I'll admit). After suspecting cheating he copied all the tests that had been turned in, the next day, after giving the kids the tests to self correct he played it cool. When the self-corrected tests were handed back (with many changes from their original tests) to the teacher he had his proof...and the kids all had their "F's" to share with their parents over spring break.
Cheating screws everyone, the cheaters, their fellow students (in this news article case everyone has to re-take the AP tests), their parents and the teachers who have to act like policemen in running their class. Those who think cheating is "no big deal' shold go teach for awhile and see how you feel about it then. ERRRRR!</p>
<p>You could say Paris Hilton violating her probation is "no big deal"...but obviously from the blogs that are out there, most people do view violating the law seriously and have a great deal of animosity towards people who flaunt the rules. I wish more schools, public/private/charter would toss the kids out on thier butts.</p>
<p>Hmm. Cheating on AP tests? Not particularly surprising. Though the proctors (guidance counselors) at my school are really strict about CollegeBoard policies, I always imagined there were schools where everything was more lenient. </p>
<p>My opinion on cheating: it's a risky practice. I'd be a liar if I said I never cheated in high school but I’d never do so on a CollegeBoard exam, mainly due to the risk. I'm sure the self-righteous valedictorians (my school has one of those) will shout and scream about "cheating being the worst thing ever" and how "cheaters should be expelled", but hey, the way I see it, it's an option all students have. </p>
<p>-The Cheating Coot66</p>
<p>lmao@ninja costume</p>
<p>so. cheating is part of being smart. The smart ones don't get caught.</p>
<p>@thethoughtprocess: "I don't think you can compare racism to cheating on a test in school...but thats just me. I think one is worse than the other."</p>
<p>A test, singular, sure. Two tests, okay. Three, four... But when we're talking about someone who cheats on virtually everything he ever does (which is apparently the case with some of the people at this high school), how is that any less severe of a character flaw than being a racist?</p>
<p>@JohnC613: "so. cheating is part of being smart. The smart ones don't get caught."</p>
<p>Okay, I can understand that cheating isn't the most severe thing in the world, so let's have a little philosophy exercise. At what point do you admit your view falls apart? Is plagiarism part of being smart? Embezzling funds? Raping people?</p>
<p>I saw the Post story on this...I was surprised that the story of another area high school (inside the Beltway) didn't get picked up. I heard about it from the students themselves but I don't see why they'd lie about it since an error would have only hurt them in the end. They wanted to report it though, and I am pretty sure several did, and I thought it might go to the media if someone wanted to go that far. This wasn't exactly cheating but it was a violation of conduct regulations. Basically they said the teachers looked through the exam booklets to see "who took the test seriously" or I guess if they were just passing time and writing answers down. I don't know what came of it or if it could be proven though. The thing is no one wants scores cancelled because of an irregularity, so...but publicizing the stories could have a deterrant effect I think, no one wants their school cast in that light by major media. </p>
<p>Oddly enough it seems like most people I know who resort to cheating are doing marginally well, maybe average students, or a little above average, like a "B" average. I would say most of the "A" students do not cheat. When people make a habit of cheating, there comes points where you can't cheat. And in sequential material like math, cheating your way through a few units is like out of the frying pan and into the fire - they never really catch up again. People may not believe it but there actually do come points in your life where you can't cheat. If everyone could just cheat through life, nothing would get done. It fails the generalization test. Eventually the people who have decided to take the harder way do win out. And only harder in some senses, considering I know some people who devote energy to cheating that is so significant they could actually in many cases complete the assignment on their own faster. They must like the thrill or something, because some of it isn't logical. </p>
<p>I honestly never even really think to cheat and I'm hardly one of those people who does everything three days ahead of time, yet I managed to complete the IB diploma with a high A average and obviously I waste plenty of time. So I'm not really sure where the necessity of cheating comes in. The truth is, I put in the work at the "lower levels", in 8th-10th grade, and gained skills considerable enough that I can complete the work relatively fast without cheating. If you cheated your way through 8th-10th grade, then you basically just made life 10x harder for yourself because whenever you can't cheat you're going to be completely lost. But I believe people can reform or whatever, so they can keep working at it. I think it's relatively disrespectful but I can't say I give much daily thought to it. The truth is, these people aren't really "beating me" academically in any sense, not to brag, it's just the reality of it. I think people get sort of paranoid about cheaters finishing first but in reality and in the long run I would say this is not so often the case. Then again I also wouldn't say cheating is completely rampant at my school, small school and the IB program is even smaller, and everything tends to get back. So people display at least some respect for not attempting to cheat egregiously.</p>
<p>lol... ninja suit. Check out "ask a ninja" at youtube.com for more ninja-related humor!</p>
<p>A response to an early comment--it is absolutely the right thing to let the students retest under stricter proctoring conditions. Since they will never know for sure who was involved and who wasn't, it's a way of getting everyone the score they deserve with no chance of a false positive that could ruin a kid's life.</p>
<p>I sure wouldn't want a doctor who cheated his way through school.</p>
<p>I was taking a health test today, and literally NOONE in my class WAS NOT either GIVING ANSWERS or TAKING ANSWERS. So frustrating. I really have not cheated on anything, so it makes me so aggravted. Even when teachers notice at school (on one history test, 31/32 kids had the same exact scores...) and report it, nothing is done. The people who sold the cheat sheets didn't even have to serve detention, and the cheaters were given the score they cheated for. What a beautiful world.</p>
<p>Wow, it's amazing how you all sit here and can look yourselves in the mirror at night because you supposedly restore integrity by telling those that think cheating is no big deal that they're horribly wrong, meaning 1) you're not respecting their opinion and 2) you're blowing things way out of proportion. </p>
<p>If you want to be a saint, go do something useful like cure AIDs...</p>
<p>And no, don't start blaming this on the kid's parents, it's the kid that makes the decision. Getting caught is the risk you take. </p>
<p>I think race, ethnicity, and/or wealth all play a big part in whether you'd be the person to snitch on another person. </p>
<p>Let's take a look at lower class; mostly Blacks and Hispanics. Most of us that have lived in that environment at one point would never be CAUGHT DEAD "telling on" someone for cheating like an idiot. For one, the teacher would look at us like we're nuts. Two, you'd get your ass kicked. (for lack of better terms). We had to worry about more important things like living... And if someone had to cheat along the way to keep to help themselves out a bit, more power to him. Integrity is really a self-imposed type of characteristic. </p>
<p>Middle class; a lot of white people, some Hispanics, some Blacks. Most that I know wouldn't snitch on others. The ones that do snitch are generally regarded as loser, even before they snitch, and no, it's not for their saintly actions. Once again, these people have lives, and more pressing issues that snitching on the kid that killed the test curve. Big ass deal, curves are for people that wouldn't do well on the test to begin with... </p>
<p>Upper middle class +; mostly white people. These guys generally have less to worry about than the members of the classes below. And quite honestly it seems like the majority of people speaking out against something like cheating (which really isn't a big issue... I can't believe I have to point that out...) are in this class. </p>
<p>Does anyone see a correlation here? </p>
<p>It's obviously the weight placed on exams that causes students to cheat. They could study all night, but if something slips your memory, you're done. </p>
<p>"I sure wouldn't want a doctor who cheated his way through school."</p>
<p>Oh definitely. Cheating on that Geometry exam throws off my entire sense of security. Or maybe it's cheating on the psychology test that really throws me off...
Seriously though, some of you amaze me. You exaggerate such a small offense, for reasons I have yet to figure out.</p>
<p>LMAO at the ninja dude...</p>
<p>About the cheating thing....it is "a part of life" believe it or not. However, this does not mean it is correct. I do have to say the valedictorian, Peter, is doing something brave...but probably futile in the long run. Cheating/stealing is a part of human nature and eliminating it is impossible, and curbing it improbable.</p>
<p>Armando, I can't speak for anyone else, but how I see myself in the mirror doesn't have much to do with my posts on College Confidential. I fully realize that my posts in this thread, and this thread in general, are almost entirely inconsequential.</p>
<p>I think we can all agree that cheating is wrong. What divided us was when hyakku commented that the guy reforming the school deserves to have his ass kicked.</p>
<p>I, of course, am socially aware enough to know how snitches are viewed. I personally have never snitched on anyone (as far as I can remember), and it's not like I have love affairs with people that have.</p>
<p>But that doesn't change the fact that a bunch of people cheated, someone told on them, and hyakku (who presumably does not know anyone involved) decides to jump on the latter. This just does not make sense. As sniveling, annoying, or socially retarded the snitch may be, if anyone needs their asses kicked, perhaps it's <em>gasp</em> the cheaters.</p>