Just watching/reading the breaking story about the widespread scandal involving parents, coaches, ACT/SAT ringers etc. It is truly unbelievable the lengths to which people will go to game the system.
My focus is not on college, however. I understand that there is another thread that is on fire in the College section, but I have a simple question based on my observations during DC’s prep school standardized testing last fall. My focus is on this whole prep school application process where so many wonderful kids and their parents have, for years, worked their collective ***** off for success.
In our case, my DC did very well on the standardized test, but we had the opportunity to see the same testing agency overseas when one of my kids took a lower level test a few years ago. Overseas, we had to provide a passport or another “official” ID. However, when DC took the standardized test last fall from the same agency in the US, the US administrators asked for NO id.
That is quite shocking to me. I guess an argument can be made that kids in the US don’t have to have ID. However, it seems to me that with the college scandal, which is frankly disgusting beyond belief, this can happen wherever there are security gaps.
Nothing is perfect, and I’m not singling out any particular test over another, but my point is what is to stop these kinds of truly horrific scandals happening at the prep school level,?
Nothing. Even with the best security procedures in place, cheating can and will occur when the stakes are perceived to be high. What else is new?
Not asking for ID is new, when it is clearly being asked for overseas, at least in our experience.
@ChoatieMom: I’m not trying to be argumentative, but it’s truly appalling what happened at the college level. All of our kids have worked so hard, and I am asking is there anything to stop this. If no ID is being asked for, this seems to me to be a gap.
Asking for ID will not stop anything. Not saying the test centers shouldn’t go through the motions, but let’s not kid ourselves.
A biometric passport is not something that is easily faked. In the US,we weren’t asked for ANYTHING. We were overseas.
Let’s not kid ourselves? Really? After this incredible scandal?
MODERATOR’S NOTE:
I am reopening this thread with the caveat that discussion be limited to the question posed - prep schools and SSAT (and similar HS admissions exams).
I understand the kids working hard, but what exactly are the parents doing? My son submitted a photo with his SAT registration in high school. We could have added the photo of anyone we wanted. Unless the test centers are experts at picking out fake IDs I don’t know how using fake IDs could be prevented.
@mynameiswhatever the stumbling block for ID in the US is that many kids have no form of photographic id. Unless we are going to make passports free or come up with some other form of id for kids it’s not reasonable. I agree it seems crazy that there’s no security.
I guess that’s finally my point: where there are huge gaping holes in the security of this kind of test, what exactly is the purpose of the test? There is no authentication method with these tests, whereas with other tests there is at least something.
As SE requested (and thanks for reopening), my comment is strictly limited to prep school standardized tests, and I only mention other tests by way of reference to the total lack of security at the prep school level, for at least the SSAT.
FWIW I think the test security issues for SSAT can be found at the type of private test centers like the ones used in Houston & LA in the currently published scheme. They are fueled by affluent parents who can pay for test prep and private administration of the test.
There is an unfair gap or hole on the other side, as well. When my kiddo took SSAT at a school location ( we had to drive 35 miles to the school), there was no clock on the wall of the testing room, but they made the kids turn in their watches. Very unfair because the kids need to pace themselves.
No clock or watch is nuts. I remember a discussion here just a few months back on whether a watch was permitted, and I think the rules enforcement totally varies.
That no kid was allowed access to something to pace themselves right there is a test irregularity on the part of the SSAT. They need to ensure that all test sites have bare minimums like a time-keeping device that is visible for all test-takers.
Will save the accommodations issue and whether that’s being gamed for a future post.
As soon as the admissions season is over 
(I don’t want them to invalidate my DC’s scores!), I’m planning on contacting the SSAT myself to raise these issues so maybe they will try to fix them for my younger DC and for others. There are systemic problems that can easily be addressed.
I’m not asking for perfection, but neither am I asking to do nothing. My hope here is that at some stage parents, students, schools, and consultants will raise issues like this with SSAT (I don’t know too much about ISEE, but one of our DCs took this overseas for middle school admissions and I don’t remember what they did) because they seriously need to up the game.
@mynameiswhatever ok, we can save that for a future post but for the record I think accommodations are being inappropriately used.
I thought I read that for the ISEE kids needed some kind of identification. My kid ended up not taking it but I remember reading that she needed a passport maybe?
@dogsmama1997 and others: feel free to post away on accommodations. I don’t have specific experience on this point (but I have my hunches). If this is being gamed, that’s precisely the point of this thread on prep school standardized testing.
Regarding the issue of US kids not being required to have ID, that’s a fair point. But, by analogy, Gateway to Prep Schools does not allow the applicant to submit the recommendations or transcripts by the students; instead, those come from the school. That’s a commonsense check on fraud.
For starters, why can’t that basic concept be adopted for prep school tests? For example, even if an SSAT test taker has no ID, why can’t the application to take the test be made in conjunction with the student’s school that certifies a picture that’s printed on the admission ticket and a signature. This is not rocket science in today’s world. Google and basically every other tech service has two-(or more) factored authentication. Why can’t the SSAT, which is such an important test, do something like this?
That tells me that if there is a will, there’s a way to combat problems arising out of this wide-open hole. There are a million and one ways to check this, and I know there are a million and two ways to defeat the system. As I’ve said before, I’m not looking for perfection, but I am looking for some basic commonsense changes. Otherwise, the excellence of those that perform well is debased. The SSAT seems to be doing nothing on this front. We paid in the triple figures for this test, and I want to make sure that it is actually standing for something.
Thus far, solely limited to SSAT, I’ve counted the following issues to be considered by the testing agency based on comments received:
- no ID required by the student taking the test;
- ensuring accommodations are not unfairly used;
- ensuring minimum uniform standards, such as a visible clock, for all test centers and for all students taking the test.
- Feel free to add.
For all kids who performed well honestly, the SSAT should make sure that they are rewarded and that those that are gaming the system are not. That’s what this thread is about.
Private BS consultants can get certified as test centers. It is one of the perks they offer. Your kid can take the test alone in a room. Could be wrong, but IIRC clients don’t even have to take it on a scheduled test day. I remember thinking how odd that seemed when I found out - but assumed there must be protections in place. Now I am not so sure.
BS is high stakes, but for a relatively small subset of the population that is already misunderstood as elitist. I doubt the cry of “no fair!” from a BS parent would resonate with the general public like the SAT scandal does. I can understand that policing it wouldn’t be a priority from a PR standpoint.
I saw that about consultants, but we’ve never even remotely thought it was applicable to us. Now, I’m not sure what to believe!
It’s not just BS. In addition to BS results, we’re awaiting to hear from several day schools shortly, all of which required either SSAT or ISEE and which my DC would prefer to attend over BSs.
This may not be a widespread issue, but I certainly will make sure that all the schools that DC applied to, admitted or otherwise, become cognizant of these issues. They are probably the best placed to make the change with the testing agencies.
I hope they can appreciate how obvious the problem is.Again, the issue is not for those kids who actually obtained their score through hard work or intelligence using legitimate means: more power to you! But otherwise, it’s a serious issue.