Sorry you are clueless as you do not need to be on a med for an accommodation. You can even get a doctor to say your child has test anxiety. It happens all the time. This is nothing against kids who have an ld. This is about parents gaming the system.

My kid does not have or need accommodations. The handful of kids I know at a so-called Big 3 that have accommodations have been ADHD diagnosed since 3rd or 4th grade, so it seems legit. I cannot imagine any parent would want their kids on the required medication for all these years just so their kid can get extra time on the SAT/ACT.

Also many of the kids going into a "separate room" may be taking the SAT with essay, which requires additional time from the "regular" test because of the extra section.

There are a huge number of kids with test accommodations at our "big 5" private. I was shocked when i learned how many a few years ago.

Now i get it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there is definitely an issue with kids who have had no ld suddenly needing more test time. This is the kind of cheating that I hear about. Also teachers who want to help FA students by changing answers on standardized tests. This happens all the time as well.

Uh, what?

+1 What a cuckoo post. Legitimate accommodations for kids with learning needs are required by law. And if you had evidence of teachers changing answers on standardized tests, you would have reported it. But you don't.

Truth hurts. Many schools direct kids to a certain Dr and suddenly they an ld. I had no idea about extra time until my kid brought it up. DC noticed that suddenly a quarter of the class was getting extra time. Some kids would go into separate rooms as well. Happened on an outplacement year. Also found out that kids were getting extra tutoring that had FA for free. There is a lot of murky stuff going on at these schools. I think in the last few years some schools and parents have gotten bolder. Before you say things like someone is crazy bringing this up why din’t You ask your kid if they have noticed more kids getting time when for years they did not or other accommodations happening on an outplacement year.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there is definitely an issue with kids who have had no ld suddenly needing more test time. This is the kind of cheating that I hear about. Also teachers who want to help FA students by changing answers on standardized tests. This happens all the time as well.

Uh, what?

+1 What a cuckoo post. Legitimate accommodations for kids with learning needs are required by law. And if you had evidence of teachers changing answers on standardized tests, you would have reported it. But you don't.

You are missing the point. Many many of these students don't have legitimate LDs. It is a fact. Deal with it. I really hope that this changes.

Evidence? Hint: Two fake ACT accommodations disinfect the current scandal is not “many many.”

This has a nice amount of background research for a student newspaper piece.

https://newtriernews.org/news/2018/05/11/testing-accommodations-four-times-national-average/

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there is definitely an issue with kids who have had no ld suddenly needing more test time. This is the kind of cheating that I hear about. Also teachers who want to help FA students by changing answers on standardized tests. This happens all the time as well.

Uh, what?

+1 What a cuckoo post. Legitimate accommodations for kids with learning needs are required by law. And if you had evidence of teachers changing answers on standardized tests, you would have reported it. But you don't.

You are missing the point. Many many of these students don't have legitimate LDs. It is a fact. Deal with it. I really hope that this changes.

Evidence? Hint: Two fake ACT accommodations disinfect the current scandal is not “many many.”

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there is definitely an issue with kids who have had no ld suddenly needing more test time. This is the kind of cheating that I hear about. Also teachers who want to help FA students by changing answers on standardized tests. This happens all the time as well.

Uh, what?

+1 What a cuckoo post. Legitimate accommodations for kids with learning needs are required by law. And if you had evidence of teachers changing answers on standardized tests, you would have reported it. But you don't.

You are missing the point. Many many of these students don't have legitimate LDs. It is a fact. Deal with it. I really hope that this changes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there is definitely an issue with kids who have had no ld suddenly needing more test time. This is the kind of cheating that I hear about. Also teachers who want to help FA students by changing answers on standardized tests. This happens all the time as well.

Uh, what?

+1 What a cuckoo post. Legitimate accommodations for kids with learning needs are required by law. And if you had evidence of teachers changing answers on standardized tests, you would have reported it. But you don't.

Anonymous wrote:I think there is definitely an issue with kids who have had no ld suddenly needing more test time. This is the kind of cheating that I hear about. Also teachers who want to help FA students by changing answers on standardized tests. This happens all the time as well.

Uh, what?

I think there is definitely an issue with kids who have had no ld suddenly needing more test time. This is the kind of cheating that I hear about. Also teachers who want to help FA students by changing answers on standardized tests. This happens all the time as well.

I'm the parent of a high school junior, and most of the parents at my kid's DC private (a so-called top 3, though I hate that term) are doing their best to help their kids set realistic expectations for themselves, figure out what they want from a college, and work hard without killing themselves. This is a busy and stressful year as it is for them. Some of my friends hired outside counselors, but most can't afford it. It's a lot of money on top of tuition. I don't know of anyone doing anything unethical. There definitely are kids getting test prep up the wazoo and who have the freedom to do cool internships and such rather than scoop ice cream in the summer, but that's about the extent of it. Well, plus a few people tapping connections to get things like on-campus interview or letters of recommendation from board of trustees members, but most people I know don't actually HAVE those connections. My kid is taking it all in stride. He works hard and knows he'll go somewhere fine. To me, the case represented such an extreme as to be shocking. Simply hasn't been my experience, knock wood!

Anonymous wrote: The only thing this shows is how much the wealthy can and try to get away with it in our society. Most of us can never imagine it being in their shoes. The system has always been heavily tilted in their favor. I’m just glad some of these jackasses are actually going to Be punished finally.

+1, except I doubt there will be any changes or real consequences and in a few weeks it will be forgotten.

I imagine most private schools are planning forums on how to buy your kid's way into college without actually getting caught by the Feds (don't use the US Postal service! don't claim your bribes on your taxes!)

The only thing this shows is how much the wealthy can and try to get away with it in our society. Most of us can never imagine it being in their shoes. The system has always been heavily tilted in their favor. I’m just glad some of these jackasses are actually going to Be punished finally.

Hi there,

My name is Ellen McCarthy and I'm a reporter for The Washington Post. A colleague and I are reporting a story about the reaction to the college admissions scandal. Here are the questions we're thinking about:

--Has this prompted conversations among parents/counselors/administrators about the emphasis on admissions to elite colleges?

--Are schools communicating with parents/students on this issue? If so, what are they saying?

--Has it prompted any soul searching about the pressure on kids to get into top schools? Does it make students/parents more anxious about the admissions process?

--Are there any forums planned to address these issues? (Ie, we know of a mindful parenting session happening in the California district where many of the accused families live to help parents/students talk about ways to navigate the admissions process healthfully. Anything like that going on in the DC area?)


We're looking to talk to parents, college counselors and administrators who have insights. Happy to talk on the record or on background. We'd also love to sit down with a handful of current high school juniors to get their reactions. Are they more nervous now? Or somehow happy that this stuff is coming to light? If you have any thoughtful, articulate juniors in your orbit who might be willing to talk about these things, we'd love to connect with them.

Feel free to call or email: 202-334-7272; ellen.mccarthy@washpost.com