SAT scandal: Asian students’ American dream goes sour For a large number of #Asian students, the dream of an American education has hit an ugly roadblock. #SAT scores of many Asian students, who took the examination in October, November and December last year, are being withheld amidst allegations of widespread cheating. It is alleged that a number of students had prior knowledge of the questions that they would be asked in the test, giving them an unfair advantage. The latest scandal comes amidst a series of controversies in the past few years, particularly the 2007 saga which led to the scores of 900 South Korean students being canceled. That was followed by another similar scandal in 2013, when scores of a number of South Korean students were cancelled twice. The SAT is a crucial component of the admissions process for #US #universities, and the allegations and delay threaten to derail the plans of a significant number of Chinese students. Over the past decade, the total number of Chinese youth studying in the U.S. has jumped 60 times. Educational consultant and teacher Jiang Xueqin believes that it is this fierce competition for admission into high-ranking U.S. universities that is fueling a culture of cheating. Another key matter of concern is the fact that the SAT question papers used in Asia are often versions of ones that have previously been used in the U.S. This means that those who are willing to pay large sums of money can end up accessing the questions in advance. Designing new tests would surely go a long way in addressing the problem. However, the U.S.-based College Entrance Examination Board, which administers the test, says that doing so would be far too expensive. But perhaps it is time for the authorities to consider that the cost of a new test is far less than the loss of a student’s year and credibility.
Posted on: Sat, 17 Jan 2015 12:45:00 +0000
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