Reply to Claiming a disability on the SAT/ACT - have people been gaming the system?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I posted on the other thread about my DS who scored a 35 on the ACT using time and a half.  He had accommodations since 2nd grade when he was diagnosed with ADHD and slow processing.  In summer prior to 8th grade, he was tested again, and the same diagnosis held, but with the processing speed improving slightly.  He continued with his accommodations through 8th grade and high school.  He had time and a half to take the ACT in February of his junior year and scored a 35 -- one and done.  He has always been a strong test taker and very intelligent, so it did not come as a huge surprise, and we were thrilled.  That summer, in preparation for possibility of need for accommodations in college, he had his third neuro-psych test.  This test actually showed a very strong improvement in processing speed.  Apparently this is something that can improve as the brain develops.  We were thrilled to see this improvement and realized then that perhaps the accommodations he had for the ACT may not have been needed because of the stark improvement in processing speed.  Perhaps that explains the high score.  We will never know, but in our case, I would not say we "gamed the system."  We just got lucky.[/quote]

no, you did not get lucky.  you gamed the system.  [/quote]

You can only do testing every few years so it isn't gaming the system.  They have had documented concerns since 2nd grade.  Different than someone coming in middle or high school demanding extra time.  [/quote]

I don't think anyone should get extended time for "low processing speed," period.  I remember this PP and she has gone on before about how "brilliant" her DS is and how he is such as "strong" test taker ... even knowing that, she STILL finagled the extra time for the ACT.  Totally gaming the system.  What she had was a bright, quirky kid who seemed a little different as a younger kid, and she decided that she could not stand even the slightest difficulty for him.  [/quote]

You don't do neuropsych testing if everything is ok starting in 2nd grade.  Do you realize the costs involved for the average family?  You have no idea what some of the challenges some of our kids face.[/quote]

I mean, this thread was triggered by the FEDERAL INDICTMENTS indicating that in fact, privileged parents pay good $$$ for exactly this kind of thing.  I have a kid with an IEP myself, so I understand challenges.  But there's no doubt that testing accomodations are abused.  This PP is an object lesson.  [/quote]

The indictments show that obtaining sham diagnosis was just the first step.

Then[b] Singer and his accomplices used those faked reports to get extra time and give them an opportunity top change the students' answers.[/b] The fraud included fraudulent accommodations but ALSO old school cheating (changing answers just enough to bring in an acceptable, but not too high score).

These were not parents who sought fake diagnoses, and then had the kids test on their own with just extra time. It went WAY beyond that, and in fact, required bribing ACT and SAT staff.

[/quote]

Singer had a psychologist who did the testing to document fake disabilities and then showed the parents how to fight for accommodations that would allow them to test outside of the normal facility with a special proctor. They would work with the proctors (who worked for sat and act) to figure out the dates they were available and the facilities where they would be.[b] I don't know how they pulled this off but they were able to ensure those kids were in a room alone with the bribed proctor who either took the test for the kid or fixed the test for the kid.[/b] One kid wasnt even in the same city (fbi knew from cell phone tower pings) when he was supposedly taking the test. [/quote]

They bribed the proctors' supervisor too. [/quote]

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