Dear Associate,

A couple of weeks ago I escaped Utah’s snowy weather and attended the NOCA conference in sunny Orlando, Florida. This year’s conference was a success and included many educational sessions supporting testing and certification programs (conference photos). Caveon presented a 4-hour workshop on test security to a packed audience in conjunction with our good friends: Gary Smith, AMP; Laura Culver Edgar, NCCAOM; and Robert Hornauer, NCCCO.

I’m very pleased to announce that Caveon’s President, John Fremer is the inaugural recipient of the Association of Test Publishers' Professional Contributions and Service to Testing Award, which honors John’s career-long commitment to advancing the assessment industry. Read the press release. ATP's annual Innovations in Testing conference will be held, February 5-7, in Palm Springs, California.

Best regards,

Don Sorensen
Vice President, Marketing
Caveon Test Security
801.592.3396

1 > Exam Cheating in China Highly Organized
Epoch Times - New York, NY, USA
...The exam cheating method of receiving "mid-exam answers" has been shown to result in better test scores than the cheating method of receiving "pre-exam answers." One recent examinee described the cheating equipment and cheating flow of the "mid-exam answers" to the Legal Times :...

2 > Educators crack down on electronic cheating
Hattiesburg American - Hattiesburg, MS, USA
...In the 2005-06 school year, the state employed independent analysis firm Caveon to review tests for irregularities like a large number of erasures, Kaase said. Suspicious tests are red-flagged for investigation. Though Caveon is currently only used for high school tests, Kaase said the state may expand use of that technology to the lower grades....

3 > Answer to cheating is as easy as BCA
Sydney Morning Herald - Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
...Frustrated by suspicions that students were cheating, the department creates four variations to each multiple choice exam it prepares. If students copy the letters circled by their neighbours, they will arrive at different results. The more they copy, the worse they will do....

4 > In a world of instant gratification and pressure to succeed, teens find it easier than ever to cheat
Fort Wayne News Sentinel - Fort Wayne, IN, USA
...In a recent CNN interview, one 17-year-old said: "What's important is getting ahead. The better grades you have, the better school you get into, the better you're going to do in life. And if you learn to cut corners to do that, you're going to be saving yourself time and energy. In the real world that's what's going to be going on. The better you do, that's what shows. It's not how moral you were in getting there."...

5 > Hiring the Perfect Proctor
Certification Magazine
...There are many different places that organizations can look to find proctors. A few of the different areas that proctors can be found are through schools (colleges and universities), through student workers or retired individuals. Some of these schools use advertising on their Web site, much like that of a classified section in a newspaper to hire their proctors....

6 > Culturally different honor codes
Princeton University The Daily Princetonian - NJ, United States
...Most of my French friends still do not believe me when I tell them about Princeton's Honor Code. I myself felt very awkward when I sat next to my classmates without any professor present for my first midterm here. In France, I would have been sitting two seats apart from everybody. My bag would have been lying with all the other bags in the front of the classroom, and several supervisors would have been walking down the aisle. French students do not consider cheating a question of honor; it is viewed more as a challenge to the system that's difficult to carry out. For example, I remember hearing about a girl who wrote notes on the inside of the label of her water bottle, but even her plot was discovered....

7 > Ethics Boundaries Still Appear Fuzzy
Washington Post - United States
...And sometimes, it's not just students but educators who are the problem, he noted. One example: A principal at a Charles County elementary school was forced to resign this year after officials learned that students had been given answers, extra time and coaching on statewide exams this past spring....

8 > Test-mania fuels cheating at many schools, teachers say
Staten Island Advance - Staten Island, NY, USA
..."When you're in search of more points, you'll find them. Nobody cares how it's done," said Frank DeSantis, a 26-year veteran who teaches at McKee High School in St. George. "A lot of teachers get that feeling that all [schools] are looking for is statistics, and [they're] lying and cheating to get them."...

9 > Camden schools will combat 'adult interference' in testing
Philadelphia Inquirer - Philadelphia, PA, USA
...The Camden School District has developed a sweeping corrective-action plan to beef up test security to prohibit the "adult interference" that inflated 2005 state standardized test scores, but said it needs more time to determine whether anyone should be held responsible for the cheating scandal....

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ATP 2007: Innovations in Testing
February 5-7, Westin Mission Hills Resort, Palm Springs, California
This year’s event includes workshops, general sessions with informative and thought-provoking keynote presentations, up to 60 breakout sessions on relevant topics, poster sessions, and several networking activities. Online registration is now available!