Feds uncover large-scale college entrance exam cheating plot

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OMG - USC trying to do damage control via TMZ...

"...On a different front, sources at USC familiar with the scandal tell us the University has known about the investigation for around 2 months, but they did not investigate ... because they didn't want to undermine the feds. Our sources say they've dealt with the U.S. Attorney's Office before, and they know if they conducted a simultaneous investigation it could tip off witnesses and targets, and result in the destruction of evidence.

As for what USC will do with the students whose parents got them into the school via bribery, well-connected sources tell us the students will not all be evaluated the same way. We're told if the students knew they were admitted because of bribes, they will be expelled. If they were in the dark, the University will evaluate all of the circumstances and the decisions will be student-specific.

And, one final thing, as for USC ... we know officials are furious at the parents who engaged in bribery. They say it has tarnished the school, the students and the athletic programs."

Why be mad at the parents rather than being mad at the USC coaches/administrators/staff for accepting bribes? Maybe take a second look at the quality of who you are hiring.

They released a statement.

https://www.latimes.com/sports/usc/la-sp-college-admissions-scandal-usc-ucla-20190312-story.html

In response to the government’s findings, USC quickly tried to distance itself from Heinel and Vavic.

“We understand that the government believes that illegal activity was carried out by individuals who went to great lengths to conceal actions from the university,” USC’s statement continued. “USC is conducting an internal investigation.

“USC is in the process of identifying any funds received by the university in connection with this alleged scheme. Additionally, the university is reviewing its admissions processes broadly to ensure that such actions do not occur going forward.”

BS. Its CYA time. No way a kid shows up for a crew placement after never having rowed a day in their life and not raised on flag. Even if the coach was bribed, there wasn't one other person who saw this girl or saw other irregularities? Nonsense.

+1 There are different rules for rich white kids. But sure, DCUM can continue to beat up on Asian kids who attend a Saturday prep class so they can try to get better test scores to compete with kids like this.

This has nothing to do with being white and everything to do with being rich. I have worked in the admissions process for several years and I 100% guarantee you that Caucasian and Asian kids alike have to score a lot higher, have higher grades and better overall resumes to be accepted to top schools than other ethnicities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The accommodations scam needs to end. Kids who never needed before all of the sudden in 8th grade needed for the high school entry standardized tests. Total scam. Like therapy dogs.

But but, my transgender Haitian black kid with ADHD and processing issues has PTSD due to trauma so he really really needs some help.

Don't be a racist xenophobe antihuman pig, remember how holistic we all holistically are.

PP said the scams have to end. Not the real accommodations. The scammers are really hurting the kids who need it.

This. 50 some odd pages before anyone mentions this. This is going to hurt the kids who need those accommodations. I'm a mom of a child with disabilities who needs the accommodations. I hate that the fbi included the handwriting sample for the one kid in the affidavit. I know I shouldn't diagnose but it looks like dysgraphia to me. The kid probably has other disabilities as well. I'm not saying his mom derserves special treatment. I think including the writing sample was mean spirited. Some of the first posts on the thread were makig fun of the kid for his handwriting. My child has experienced so many nasty comments because of the dysgraphia. We've had to deal with teachers who ignored the iep and tried to punish child for handwriting. Ignorance about disabilities is prevalent and harmful. My child has extended time and did very well on college tests. My child is very bright but struggles in many ways due to child's disailities. My child needs the accommodations to even the playing field. What Singer and his cheating proctors and college coaches did is disgusting.

I am also parent of 2 kids, one with a disability that requires accommodations.

But I will defend the prosecutors on the handwriting issue. It was submitted so that the fake test taker could practice the kid's handwriting. It demonstrates the length the parent was willing to go.

If the kid needed accommodations, it would have been known before junior year in high school, and he would have been using them throughout school (like our kids). Instead, his mom took him to a compromised/bribed psychologist recommended by Singer to gin up a fake disability that would give them extra time, and permission to test alone which made the cheating possible.

This is doesn't add up. Once of my children had accommodations and there was a 3 year look back that had to be documented that accommodations had been used and were necessary. That couldn't have happened with a junior year report.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm worried about this story because of how it is going to affect affirmative action.

This story, coupled with the lawsuit in Harvard, is all about the 'two tiers' that exist to get into schools--one the regular merit-based application and the other about 'hooks' that can get you in, be it legacy, donations, athletics and yes, affirmative action. Anything that is giving anyone a leg up is now suspect, and if you think affirmative action isn't going to be the 'baby with the bath water' you aren't paying attention. Those who oppose affirmative action are already using this story already in their assault on preferences of any sort.

Yea it's fun to watch some rich white people squirm, but longer term things are a bit more dicey.

It is time for AA to go by the wayside. It makes all minority admits suspect and with good reason. I have worked in the admissions area for the last several years and the overall grades, scores and resume of minority students are too often subpar (make that minority female and she is golden) and yet they are admitted over qualified Asians and Caucasians. The most qualified student should get the admissions offer. To do otherwise hurts everyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Right, that’s the same. Lord you’re dumb.

They are comparable because weight loss through diet/exercise is something that you actually have to work for. Test prep is literally available to all students - FREE - through Kahn Academy. Some students take advantage of it, some don't.

Cheating is not the same thing as test prep.

If Kahn Academy test prep is equivalent, why are people paying so much for private test prep and tutors?

Because the structure of having organized classes or tutoring is more effective for most kids. The whole "test prep is cheating" spiel is pure bs. We used a tutor for test prep and they met, 1ce a week or every two weeks. Tutor gave them tests from books and sections of math and english to review. This review has helped them in their current classes. The quality of teachers we have dealt with is very hit or miss. Many of the science and math teachers have been abysmal. We've used tutors off and on their entire academic careers because of this. We aren't rich and our tutors cost much less than pps have quoted. Our kids also have disabilities so we are more concerned about them missing instruction in school. When our children were very young, we noticed most of the parents had a tutor their kids used regularly or occassionally. It is part of the culture that we are around that kids do some kid of organized tutoring or class outside of school. How people can argue that this is cheating is dumb.

You lost everyone when you said you use tutors weekly and (shocking) your kid has accommodations too.

Kids who have tutors often times have learning disabilities and yes, accommodations. Now we are supposed to sacrifice all LD kids because tutors and accommodations are "cheating" in your eyes. These LD kids are working twice as hard for the same result as a neurotypical kid. They already have a hard enough time without the judgment of someone who doesn't have a disability.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm worried about this story because of how it is going to affect affirmative action.

This story, coupled with the lawsuit in Harvard, is all about the 'two tiers' that exist to get into schools--one the regular merit-based application and the other about 'hooks' that can get you in, be it legacy, donations, athletics and yes, affirmative action. Anything that is giving anyone a leg up is now suspect, and if you think affirmative action isn't going to be the 'baby with the bath water' you aren't paying attention. Those who oppose affirmative action are already using this story already in their assault on preferences of any sort.

Yea it's fun to watch some rich white people squirm, but longer term things are a bit more dicey.

It is time for AA to go by the wayside. It makes all minority admits suspect and with good reason. I have worked in the admissions area for the last several years and the overall grades, scores and resume of minority students are too often subpar (make that minority female and she is golden) and yet they are admitted over qualified Asians and Caucasians. The most qualified student should get the admissions offer. To do otherwise hurts everyone.

Please take the AA discussion to an A thread. It has no relevance here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The accommodations scam needs to end. Kids who never needed before all of the sudden in 8th grade needed for the high school entry standardized tests. Total scam. Like therapy dogs.

And they all take the ACT. They get almost double the time and it is an easy test. The whole point of that test is that you need to be quick and efficient.

If you are giving extra time, it must be on the harder test.

My daughter goes to a top 5 private. She is a senior and estimates that 1/3 of the kids are on “accommodations.” Extra hour for every exam. Extra time for tests. No quick quizzes. HW is given one extra day. It is a complete disgrace. Ruins it for the kids that truly need it.

When kids are pulling 34-36 - pulease.

My kid got a 35 with extra time. He has had the accommodation of time and a half since 2nd grade. The last time he was tested by the psychologist was in middle school (7th or 8th grade) and he had his ACT accommodations in 11th grade was based on that testing and diagnosis (ADHD and slow processing). He was tested again in 12th grade and it turns out he still has ADHD, but his processing speed has improved significantly from 8th grade. I guess it must have been that way when he took his ACT. That is great news and we are thrilled about his improvement. And for all the hardship he had to endure those years, he got the bonus a great score. And based on his new testing, he would not qualify for the extra time, which he obviously no longer needs.

No offense but I think extra time is BS. These tests are IQ proxies and speed iof thought is a valid metric. If your kid has processing deficiencies then so what, he should suffer the consequence. The world isn’t fair and accommodations can’t be made for every deficiency.

BS. The federal govt disagrees with you. The whole point of the IDEA is to even the playing field for kids with disabilities so they can't be shut out of education, even elite higher education. The tests are not iq proxies; they are attempts to determine which kids are college ready. My kid is incredibly intelligent and has processing speed issues and with accommodations does very well in school. To deny these kids access to education is discriminatory and illegal. You are ignorant about disabilities.

+1000 Does the PP also support getting rid of entrance ramps and all other "accommodations" because the world isn't fair. Geez.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm worried about this story because of how it is going to affect affirmative action.

This story, coupled with the lawsuit in Harvard, is all about the 'two tiers' that exist to get into schools--one the regular merit-based application and the other about 'hooks' that can get you in, be it legacy, donations, athletics and yes, affirmative action. Anything that is giving anyone a leg up is now suspect, and if you think affirmative action isn't going to be the 'baby with the bath water' you aren't paying attention. Those who oppose affirmative action are already using this story already in their assault on preferences of any sort.

Yea it's fun to watch some rich white people squirm, but longer term things are a bit more dicey.

It is time for AA to go by the wayside. It makes all minority admits suspect and with good reason. I have worked in the admissions area for the last several years and the overall grades, scores and resume of minority students are too often subpar (make that minority female and she is golden) and yet they are admitted over qualified Asians and Caucasians. The most qualified student should get the admissions offer. To do otherwise hurts everyone.

Get rid of legacies first - isn’t affirmative action for whites? And development cases and you have my vote.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The accommodations scam needs to end. Kids who never needed before all of the sudden in 8th grade needed for the high school entry standardized tests. Total scam. Like therapy dogs.

But but, my transgender Haitian black kid with ADHD and processing issues has PTSD due to trauma so he really really needs some help.

Don't be a racist xenophobe antihuman pig, remember how holistic we all holistically are.

PP said the scams have to end. Not the real accommodations. The scammers are really hurting the kids who need it.

This. 50 some odd pages before anyone mentions this. This is going to hurt the kids who need those accommodations. I'm a mom of a child with disabilities who needs the accommodations. I hate that the fbi included the handwriting sample for the one kid in the affidavit. I know I shouldn't diagnose but it looks like dysgraphia to me. The kid probably has other disabilities as well. I'm not saying his mom derserves special treatment. I think including the writing sample was mean spirited. Some of the first posts on the thread were makig fun of the kid for his handwriting. My child has experienced so many nasty comments because of the dysgraphia. We've had to deal with teachers who ignored the iep and tried to punish child for handwriting. Ignorance about disabilities is prevalent and harmful. My child has extended time and did very well on college tests. My child is very bright but struggles in many ways due to child's disailities. My child needs the accommodations to even the playing field. What Singer and his cheating proctors and college coaches did is disgusting.

I am also parent of 2 kids, one with a disability that requires accommodations.

But I will defend the prosecutors on the handwriting issue. It was submitted so that the fake test taker could practice the kid's handwriting. It demonstrates the length the parent was willing to go.

If the kid needed accommodations, it would have been known before junior year in high school, and he would have been using them throughout school (like our kids). Instead, his mom took him to a compromised/bribed psychologist recommended by Singer to gin up a fake disability that would give them extra time, and permission to test alone which made the cheating possible.

This is doesn't add up. Once of my children had accommodations and there was a 3 year look back that had to be documented that accommodations had been used and were necessary. That couldn't have happened with a junior year report.

Not when you have $$$

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Forgot to mention something else. At the private school I went to basically attending the school was a backdoor into UVA for less qualified students. The average student who got some As, some bs and even Cs and OK SATs routinely got into UVA whereas if these same kids went to public there is no way they would ever get into UVA. There are many legal, but unfair backdoors.

Spill the tea!!! Which school????

It's many schools, especially the coed and single-sex boarding schools in VA.

I am guessing one of them rhymes with Shmoodberry Borest

[Anonymous]

It is time for legacy and athletic admits to go by the wayside. It makes all white and student athlete admits suspect and with good reason. The overall grades, scores and resume of white and student athlete students are too often subpar (make that a rich white coxain and he is golden). The most qualified student should get the admissions offer, with an eye to what systemic obstacles they overcame. To do otherwise hurts everyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The one family paid $250k to get their son into USC and then he withdrew after one year.

I know a family that paid $250K for private school K-12 and their son ended up going to WVU.

I know a family that paid $250K for private high school and their daughter ended up at Coastal Carolina.

There a lot of reasons that families choose private schools that do not relate to trying to get into Harvard. Your snakiness and judgment is astounding.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is no comparison of this fraud to Development Admits or AA admits.

So, can you people arguing that go somewhere else or stay on topic please?

It's all being lumped together. The push is already on that any preference = bad.

https://www.vox.com/2019/3/12/18262037/college-admissions-scandal-felicity-huffman

Affirmative action is NOT even remotely the same as outright cheating and/or bribery. It’s ludicrous that anyone thinks this way.

Affirmative action is legalized cheating of the system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is time for legacy and athletic admits to go by the wayside. It makes all white and student athlete admits suspect and with good reason. The overall grades, scores and resume of white and student athlete students are too often subpar (make that a rich white coxain and he is golden). The most qualified student should get the admissions offer, with an eye to what systemic obstacles they overcame. To do otherwise hurts everyone.

So Asians only? Got it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am really surprised at people being ‘surprised’ at SAT/ACT accommodations being manipulated. If you are wealthy, you have the money to buy a diagnosis.

x10000000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm worried about this story because of how it is going to affect affirmative action.

This story, coupled with the lawsuit in Harvard, is all about the 'two tiers' that exist to get into schools--one the regular merit-based application and the other about 'hooks' that can get you in, be it legacy, donations, athletics and yes, affirmative action. Anything that is giving anyone a leg up is now suspect, and if you think affirmative action isn't going to be the 'baby with the bath water' you aren't paying attention. Those who oppose affirmative action are already using this story already in their assault on preferences of any sort.

Yea it's fun to watch some rich white people squirm, but longer term things are a bit more dicey.

It is time for AA to go by the wayside. It makes all minority admits suspect and with good reason. I have worked in the admissions area for the last several years and the overall grades, scores and resume of minority students are too often subpar (make that minority female and she is golden) and yet they are admitted over qualified Asians and Caucasians. The most qualified student should get the admissions offer. To do otherwise hurts everyone.

Get rid of legacies first - isn’t affirmative action for whites? And development cases and you have my vote.

Actually, if you do economic-based placement you would see more poor whites being offered spots.