<p>My son took the ACT yesterday. Just before the writing portion began, the classroom proctor dismissed him from the room, declared his scores void and gave him no explanation. He spoke to an administrator in the hallway who got the proctor out in the hall and she said that my son had continued to enter answers after time was called. She would not discuss it further and went back into the classroom. My son insists he did not and I believe him because I know him so well. Is there anything I can do to rectify the situation? Are his answers just thrown away? All he had left to do was the writing portion. Is the proctors on the spot decision always final? Is there an appeal procedure or another way to investigate and determine if the proctor made a mistake? Ive already signed him up for the December test but the timing is horrible because he does not have time to lose another five weeks before taking the test and getting scores into colleges and universities.</p>
<p>Olivetti,
I would contact your HS GC or the ACT people directly. Maybe someone else will post who has been in this situation...I do know that generally the proctor would not have another proctor in the room so there may not be any way to investigate or determine if the proctor made a mistake...good luck.</p>
<p>My son did get the hallway administrator's name and I have phoned her and left a message to talk about it. I wondered if perhaps there were video cameras in the room, which might be helpful although perhaps not if there is no sound indicating when time was called.</p>
<p>Was your son the only test taker exited from that room?</p>
<p>To the best of my knowledge, yes. He was there up until the writing portion of the test began and I believe the alleged time violation occurred at the very end of the last section of the multiple choice tests. He was seated in the front row right before the proctor.</p>
<p>OUCH. While not understanding how the ACT appeals process works......is this a score your son needed right now? Is that a part of this? Your son is now w/o a score to complete his applications?</p>
<p>Have you given any thought to the possibility that your son may be mortified at being caught and that the procter may actually have seen him continue to enter answers after she called time?</p>
<p>I'm sorry, but "I know he coudn't have done so because i know him so well" doesn't convince me. He could have genuinely misunderstood "time" with "well ok to finish the question I am on" when it actually meant "drop your pencil instantly--even if you are mid-bubble or mid-sentence."</p>
<p>Yes. This is a critical problem because even having taken the ACT yesterday, he was getting late into the admissions process, and now with the ACT not available again until December 9, its sets him back another five weeks. The decision to dismiss a student during the test-taking can have devastating results, which I am sure ACT knows, but which also makes me wonder if there are any procedures in place to prevent or correct a mistake. My son's focus since yesterday has been mostly on the feeling of having been wrongly accused of something, which left us trying to explain that mistakes happen, life isn't always fair, etc. But I'd like to have his scores saved until I can determine if there is a way to turn this around. For all I know, the scores may have been tossed in a wastebasket.</p>
<p>I understand your logic but in truth you have NO scores. You have an answer sheet, somewhere, likely not going to be scored and w/o the writing section. Have you gotten your ACT contact info all ready for your long phone assualt to begin tomorrow? You seem to be starting with the hall enforcer but no mentions of the fax and phone numbers of ACT Admin folks. I'd start there. Likely you have done your local contacts by this moment. Has your son registered for the 9 Dec test?</p>
<p>Hazmat - I misspoke when I used the word scores. I meant answers. Good thought about contacting ACT directly, and I will line up those contact numbers. I do have him scheduled for the Dec. 9 test.</p>
<p>What bothers me about this situation is that the proctor threw him out of the room immediately, invalidating this test. This is a violation of the "innocent until proven guilty" philosophy of this country. I know it's too late, but I would have preferred the proctor let your son finish the test, and then accuse him of not following the rules and start the procedure to invalidate the exam. This way your son could have protested the proctor's decision, and at least had a chance of being proven innocent and having the test validated.</p>
<p>Isn't there an SAT being given next weekend? Can your son take this as a walk-in?</p>
<p>I would talk to the school about how these tests are administered. If there is cheating or rule breaking, I agree that the test should be thrown out. But I think the complaint should be filed after the test is taken, not during. Unless, of course, this is a rule set by ACT -- does anyone know that?</p>
<p>If your son is innocent, I feel for him.</p>
<p>I was going to mention to see about taking the SAT as well. Many colleges will accept either the SAT or the ACT. I recommend checking right away into taking the SAT.</p>
<p>I do have him scheduled for the SAT also on December 2 just in case something like this happens again. I never thought about it before. I don't know of another, earlier SAT. </p>
<p>It's true that the decision to dismiss him is so devastating if in error and I really don't know that any of this situation is salvageable even were the proctor to say now that she made a mistake. That's the reality I seem to keep coming up against and it's so damning. It really would have been better to allow him to complete the test and then confront him.</p>
<p>I'm wondering if there will be any mention anywhere on your son's transcript regarding his dismissal from the ACT. I doubt it (even without scores, will there be this mention)? If not, I think your best bet is go with the SAT exclusively. Try to understand what happened and get his name "cleared" but other than that I certainly wouldn't retake ACT...just go with SAT.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Have you given any thought to the possibility that your son may be mortified at being caught and that the procter may actually have seen him continue to enter answers after she called time?</p>
<p>I'm sorry, but "I know he coudn't have done so because i know him so well" doesn't convince me. He could have genuinely misunderstood "time" with "well ok to finish the question I am on" when it actually meant "drop your pencil instantly--even if you are mid-bubble or mid-sentence."
[/quote]
I'm with Mombot on this one. Your son may be a stellar human being, but caught up in the adrenaline and intense focus of testing, he may very well have tried to finish the question he was on - or even not heard the "put down your pencils" command. And he will lose face if he admits to making this mistake, because you have quickly jumped to his defense, and soon, not only will he feel terrible that he actually did this thing, but he will feel doubly bad and guilty that now you are trying to rectify a situation of his own making. IMHO, DROP IT NOW!!!! Shrug your shoulders, say "maybe you did, maybe you didn't - I understand how it might have happened" and move on. Have DS show up for the SAT and try to do it standby. I'm sorry for this event, but trying to "fight" this is likely to make the situation much worse and more traumatic for all involved.</p>
<p>The next SAT test is scheduled for November 4 - next week. </p>
<p>Here's the link to CollegeBoard's standby page -
<a href="http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/testday/standby.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/testday/standby.html</a></p>
<p>"Have you given any thought to the possibility that your son may be mortified at being caught and that the procter may actually have seen him continue to enter answers after she called time?" </p>
<p>Unfortunately, these kind of things do happen. I even have seen students posting on CC about how to cheat while taking SATs by doing things like continuing to write when they think the proctor isn't looking.</p>
<p>This is a good reason to have your S handle the situation, which he can do by talking to his GC and ACT. This would allow him to save face if indeed he did cheat.</p>
<p>If he didn't cheat, unfortunately, I don't think there's anything he can do to prove that. I'm sure that ACT will take the proctor's word over his. Fortunately, colleges won't know that he was kicked out of the exam for cheating allegations (unless your S tells his GC and she knows the proctor who convinces the GC that he cheated.)</p>
<p>My S has taken the SATII standby. What I've heard through the parents grapevine is that most students who go to take the tests on standby get in. Just tell your S to get there extra early and to have a credit card with him because i believe he has to pay on the spot.</p>
<p>anxiousmom and mombot -- Indeed, I have considered that. I wouldn't expect anyone to be convinced by my statatement that I know him so well. I wasn't there, do not have personal knowledge and cannot state anything differently than to vouch for him based on knowing him. I can only hope to talk to the proctor, understand what she observed and see if there is any remedy to be pursued. It surprises me if a proctor can make that decision unilaterally, but maybe so.</p>
<p>Olivetti:</p>
<p>Regardless of the outcome of speaking with the proctor, isn't it too late for that ACT since he never did the writing portion? Maybe the best approach is to just forge ahead with the other testing opportunities. I really can't see the proctor backing down on the decision anyway - there's no 'instant replay' to fall back on. Even if it was a misunderstanding where the proctor 'thought' your S was writing but he was really just fiddling with his pencil, it's unlikely the proctor would do any kind of reversal and again, what good would it do?</p>
<p>That was a great idea to try standby testing for this coming Saturday. I had not looked into it. I am putting that together now. One of the requirements is to bring a completed registration form "sealed in its envelope." Does anyone know what that means? Does it mean I simply print out a registration form and seal it in an envelope? Also, as I am presently attempting to complete a registration form, I cannot choose next Saturday's test date because it is not an option. How do I complete a registration form for next Saturday's test?</p>