Feds uncover large-scale college entrance exam cheating plot

[Anonymous]

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

This is interesting. We were discussing with my second grader last night, who asked whether the students are actually able to do the work in college. Wondering about matriculation stats for these kids.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

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

Which family?

[Anonymous]

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?

[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.

Yikes, you are a dumbo. These tests are NOT IQ proxies and ETS made that clear decades ago. You’re unqualified for this discussion.

Thank you pp. I'm worried this is going to make things much harder for kids who need the accommodations.

[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.

What’s wrong with the caltech / Oxbridge model of admissions?

Because it's not as "pure" as you're being led to believe. Those from families with titles or oligarch children still have side doors and back doors. It's just a smaller percentage of the class than in Harvard and Yale.

[Anonymous]

We need to go back to stressing that you aren’t a loser if you don’t go to college. We need more trade training incorporated and the stigma that only the poor dumb kids do it. Going to the technical HS in my area is very much seen as something that only the dumber kids with no hope of college do. That mindset prevents the mediocre and even excellent students from the programs.

My neighbor is a prime example. Her dd is interested in graphic and visual arts which is a program at the tech school. She will not allow to her attend in conjunction with her reg HS so she instead has hired tutors.

Kids can go there and graduate HS with the lowest nursing credentials to be ready to go to the next level in nursing. Instead, my niece is about $75k in debt because her parents made her do college then nursing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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

This is interesting. We were discussing with my second grader last night, who asked whether the students are actually able to do the work in college. Wondering about matriculation stats for these kids.

I went to GU and, for my surprise, everyone gets As, doesn't matter if you do a masterpiece or a #2.

[Anonymous]

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.

[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.

What’s wrong with the caltech / Oxbridge model of admissions?

Caltech/MIT really does seem to admit on merit.

Oxbridge does too -- but there is plenty of gaming to get kids into the right secondary schools to optimize your chances of getting into Oxbridge. So the crazy stuff happens but in the equivalent of our 9th or 10th grade, not when they are applying to Oxbridge.

International applicants to Oxbridge do go through a mostly merit-based system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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 I think one of them was recruited as a coxswain. One look at those girls and you can tell they aren't coxswains based on build alone.

Yes! That was the first thing I thought when I saw this! My best friend in college was coxswain for our crew team and you have to be like 90 lbs. No way that girl was that small. So not one trainer, assistant coach, no one raised a flag?

Yes, you want to be as small as possible to be a coxswain. Low height and frame help too (not just low weight) because they reduce drag. Many are ex-gymnasts. Even if the cox has a bottom weight limit in some competitions, it makes sense to drop below that limit, minimize your frame, and just carry weights in the boat to get exactly there.

[Anonymous]

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

[Anonymous]

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.

[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.

What’s wrong with the caltech / Oxbridge model of admissions?

Caltech/MIT really does seem to admit on merit.

Oxbridge does too -- but there is plenty of gaming to get kids into the right secondary schools to optimize your chances of getting into Oxbridge. So the crazy stuff happens but in the equivalent of our 9th or 10th grade, not when they are applying to Oxbridge.

International applicants to Oxbridge do go through a mostly merit-based system.

Not merit, test scores.

But Asians are a huge problem with regard to cheating on tests so who knows.

[Anonymous]

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

I know it is being lumped together. By the ignorant.