The Rich Kids' Loophole
Are Some Students Cheating on the SAT?
According to a recent report by ABC News, there is a new trick to scoring well on the SAT, but that trick is pricey. The report suggests that many high-income parents and students are paying big bucks to garner extra time on the test--by having the students declared learning disabled. How does it work?
Sources say it's not difficult for wealthy parents to find a sympathetic psychologist through a method called "diagnosis shopping." Parents can shop around until they find a doctor willing to declare a "mild" learning problem for a particular student. That diagnosis will secure the student some extra time for the test.
There's no question that the SAT has its good points and bad points, and for years the test has had its critics. This new method of beating the system may pose a severe problem for the College Board and students, however. This may serve as a serious blow in the ongoing debate over the fairness and value of standardized tests. Any comments?
Comments
This doesn’t surprise me.
I say it’s a sad commentary on the state of ethics in this country (or any other with similiar problems). Can’t really blame the child entirely although I would hope that kids old enough to take the SAT would have the gumption to stand up to parents who actively support such deception. And it’s only going to hurt the child in the long run. They’ll be labeled as learning disabled. It could make others suspicious of any child who is (legitimately) learning disabled. If the extra consideration allows the child to score especially well, there will be added pressure to live up to that high score. I’m not a huge fan of standardized tests like the SAT but I’m even less of a fan of cheating. And that’s what this is – cheating.