Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe he had somebody on the inside on the College Board. He seemed to have enough other people in on the scam.

See above. When the CB and ACT balked at extra time for these clearly non-disabled students whose parents hired Singer, the FBI asked them to grant it, so they could catch the parents as well as the paid off proctors who administered the tests and changed the students' answers.

Singer has been doing this a long time so there have been many students that got accommodations through. So put on your thinking cap -it really isn’t that difficult. Because Singer wouldn’t have been successful in his business if the parents in past years didn’t successfully receive accommodations for their kids.

You have no idea how many parents tried the SAT route and couldn't get it through the system -- even with Singer (who had 700+ clients and only 31 have been indicted). Students are denied every single day.

The sports back door he exploited did not necessarily require cheating on the test scores. Some kids were smart enough to get a decent SAT score, but they needed the sports hook to secure a spot.

Look at the stats and data. Accommodations jumped after College Board stopped flagging. Does anyone really believe suddenly all these disabled kids jumped overnight? Compare data of kids w accommodations in rich private schools vs elsewhere. Why is there a higher percentage? I see it at my DCs private’s - it is NOT difficult to get accomodations.

It's actually rather difficult to get accomodations in public school. Private schools are too afraid to stand up to the parents.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe he had somebody on the inside on the College Board. He seemed to have enough other people in on the scam.

See above. When the CB and ACT balked at extra time for these clearly non-disabled students whose parents hired Singer, the FBI asked them to grant it, so they could catch the parents as well as the paid off proctors who administered the tests and changed the students' answers.

Singer has been doing this a long time so there have been many students that got accommodations through. So put on your thinking cap -it really isn’t that difficult. Because Singer wouldn’t have been successful in his business if the parents in past years didn’t successfully receive accommodations for their kids.

So how did this happen? I haven't heard an explanation yet. Parents of LD and ADHD students insist that that it's very difficult to be granted extra time by the College Board, that students need to have a history of needing this accomodation. Yet it appeared that many (although possibly not all) of Singer's clients were able to get permission with recent diagnosis and no history of using accomodations in the past. So which is it? If one is able to get a diagnosis of LD/ADHD, is it then easy to get permission from the College Board for extra time or not? This scandal seems to show that the claims that LD parents makes - that it's sooo difficult to get approval for extra time is bunk.

Because the FBI told the College Board to give them untimed tests! Honestly, do a little reading. It's laid out in the complaint.

I think it's important to keep the cheaters separate in our thoughts from the kids/families who actually qualify for accommodations. How many parents have said that even though their child has been recommended for extra time due to a learning/attention diagnosis that they haven't used it? My DS does not use extra time on standardized tests even though his neuropsychologist recommended it and the school was willing to accommodate. He tests in a non distracting environment because some day, at work or in college, he can put on noise cancelling headphones, but he can't change his deadlines.
He's a brilliant kid with a learning disability and would definitely be taking his seat at a great college with extra time- but we're after "fit" and realism about what he (as an individual) can handle. A lot of parents whose kids have learning issues are looking for happiness and fit--because we know from raising these kids that it can be a house of cards.
I am in no way disagreeing with extra time on tests for qualifying students, nor am I judging where kids thrive or which learning issues benefit from extra time and which do not. I'm just saying that the people cheating this test are a far different group than parents and kids who have lived with a disability.

Of course.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is not difficult to get extended time accomodations for wealthy kids in the private schools - 1. Get a psychologist to certify your kid - as you can see from the Singer case this is quite easy. 2. Get private school to set up plan - this is easily done in private schools if a big donor 3. College Board and ACT will automatically approve vast majority of students who receive school-based testing accommodations

So for those who say they have to jump through hoops, yes you do IF you do not have connections and/or money to get a doctor to write a diagnosis for your kid. Once diagnosis is obtained, the private is more than willing to bend over backwards for your kid especially if you are a big donor. Then school present to College Board/ACT the school accomodations your kid gets and voila, extended time for the SAT/ACT.

I would like a neuropsychologist to chime in here-- is your profession so corrupt that any one of you will "certify a kid" for money?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe he had somebody on the inside on the College Board. He seemed to have enough other people in on the scam.

See above. When the CB and ACT balked at extra time for these clearly non-disabled students whose parents hired Singer, the FBI asked them to grant it, so they could catch the parents as well as the paid off proctors who administered the tests and changed the students' answers.

Singer has been doing this a long time so there have been many students that got accommodations through. So put on your thinking cap -it really isn’t that difficult. Because Singer wouldn’t have been successful in his business if the parents in past years didn’t successfully receive accommodations for their kids.

So how did this happen? I haven't heard an explanation yet. Parents of LD and ADHD students insist that that it's very difficult to be granted extra time by the College Board, that students need to have a history of needing this accomodation. Yet it appeared that many (although possibly not all) of Singer's clients were able to get permission with recent diagnosis and no history of using accomodations in the past. So which is it? If one is able to get a diagnosis of LD/ADHD, is it then easy to get permission from the College Board for extra time or not? This scandal seems to show that the claims that LD parents makes - that it's sooo difficult to get approval for extra time is bunk.

Because the FBI told the College Board to give them untimed tests! Honestly, do a little reading. It's laid out in the complaint.

I think it's important to keep the cheaters separate in our thoughts from the kids/families who actually qualify for accommodations. How many parents have said that even though their child has been recommended for extra time due to a learning/attention diagnosis that they haven't used it? My DS does not use extra time on standardized tests even though his neuropsychologist recommended it and the school was willing to accommodate. He tests in a non distracting environment because some day, at work or in college, he can put on noise cancelling headphones, but he can't change his deadlines.
He's a brilliant kid with a learning disability and would definitely be taking his seat at a great college with extra time- but we're after "fit" and realism about what he (as an individual) can handle. A lot of parents whose kids have learning issues are looking for happiness and fit--because we know from raising these kids that it can be a house of cards.
I am in no way disagreeing with extra time on tests for qualifying students, nor am I judging where kids thrive or which learning issues benefit from extra time and which do not. I'm just saying that the people cheating this test are a far different group than parents and kids who have lived with a disability.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe he had somebody on the inside on the College Board. He seemed to have enough other people in on the scam.

See above. When the CB and ACT balked at extra time for these clearly non-disabled students whose parents hired Singer, the FBI asked them to grant it, so they could catch the parents as well as the paid off proctors who administered the tests and changed the students' answers.

Singer has been doing this a long time so there have been many students that got accommodations through. So put on your thinking cap -it really isn’t that difficult. Because Singer wouldn’t have been successful in his business if the parents in past years didn’t successfully receive accommodations for their kids.

You have no idea how many parents tried the SAT route and couldn't get it through the system -- even with Singer (who had 700+ clients and only 31 have been indicted). Students are denied every single day.

The sports back door he exploited did not necessarily require cheating on the test scores. Some kids were smart enough to get a decent SAT score, but they needed the sports hook to secure a spot.

Look at the stats and data. Accommodations jumped after College Board stopped flagging. Does anyone really believe suddenly all these disabled kids jumped overnight? Compare data of kids w accommodations in rich private schools vs elsewhere. Why is there a higher percentage? I see it at my DCs private’s - it is NOT difficult to get accomodations.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe he had somebody on the inside on the College Board. He seemed to have enough other people in on the scam.

See above. When the CB and ACT balked at extra time for these clearly non-disabled students whose parents hired Singer, the FBI asked them to grant it, so they could catch the parents as well as the paid off proctors who administered the tests and changed the students' answers.

Singer has been doing this a long time so there have been many students that got accommodations through. So put on your thinking cap -it really isn’t that difficult. Because Singer wouldn’t have been successful in his business if the parents in past years didn’t successfully receive accommodations for their kids.

So how did this happen? I haven't heard an explanation yet. Parents of LD and ADHD students insist that that it's very difficult to be granted extra time by the College Board, that students need to have a history of needing this accomodation. Yet it appeared that many (although possibly not all) of Singer's clients were able to get permission with recent diagnosis and no history of using accomodations in the past. So which is it? If one is able to get a diagnosis of LD/ADHD, is it then easy to get permission from the College Board for extra time or not? This scandal seems to show that the claims that LD parents makes - that it's sooo difficult to get approval for extra time is bunk.

Because the FBI told the College Board to give them untimed tests! Honestly, do a little reading. It's laid out in the complaint.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is not difficult to get extended time accomodations for wealthy kids in the private schools - 1. Get a psychologist to certify your kid - as you can see from the Singer case this is quite easy. 2. Get private school to set up plan - this is easily done in private schools if a big donor 3. College Board and ACT will automatically approve vast majority of students who receive school-based testing accommodations

So for those who say they have to jump through hoops, yes you do IF you do not have connections and/or money to get a doctor to write a diagnosis for your kid. Once diagnosis is obtained, the private is more than willing to bend over backwards for your kid especially if you are a big donor. Then school present to College Board/ACT the school accomodations your kid gets and voila, extended time for the SAT/ACT.

I would like a neuropsychologist to chime in here-- is your profession so corrupt that any one of you will "certify a kid" for money?

Neuropsychologists won't give a diagnosis easily. But psyched assessments are less thorough (done by a psychologist, not a ph.d. neuropsychologist).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is not difficult to get extended time accomodations for wealthy kids in the private schools - 1. Get a psychologist to certify your kid - as you can see from the Singer case this is quite easy. 2. Get private school to set up plan - this is easily done in private schools if a big donor 3. College Board and ACT will automatically approve vast majority of students who receive school-based testing accommodations

What a great life lesson you are teaching your child....and heartening to know the schools are complicit in the lie.


The real lessons hopefully gleaned by parents from the Atlantic article:

"A white student from a professional-class or wealthy family who attended either a private high school or a public one in a prosperous school district was all but assured admission at a “good” college. A very strong but not spectacular white student from a good high school is now trying to gain access to an ever-shrinking pool of available spots at the top places. He’s not the inherently attractive prospect he once was...

The changed admissions landscape at the elite colleges is the aspect of American life that doesn’t feel right to them; it’s the lost thing, the arcadia that disappeared so slowly they didn’t even realize it was happening until it was gone. They can’t believe it—they truly can’t believe it—when they realize that even the colleges they had assumed would be their child’s back-up, emergency plan probably won’t accept them."

And finally, to sum it most parents in the DMV and certainly much of what we hear on DCUM boards:
"Huffman, like all of the other indicted parents, was expressing an attitude I first encountered not in the great books, but in the Charlie Brown Christmas special, when Sally dictates her endless list of toys to Charlie. “All I want is what I have coming to me,” she tells him; “all I want is my fair share.”

The PP is just outlining reality. As indicated in the article, kids without accomodation are actually the disadvantaged group.