 |
Cheating in the News is a bi-weekly e-mail update delivering the latest news related to cheating, exam fraud and test item piracy. To subscribe enter your e-mail address below.
 |
 |
May 5, 2005 |
| Dear Associate, |
Starting with this issue I will be adding a special Test Security Tip section. I'll share excerpts from papers and articles written by my colleagues at Caveon. To view this week's Test Security Tip scroll to the end of this e-mail.
|
| A very interesting article this week out of Spain covers the break-up of a cheating network that provided customers with test answers via cell phone while they were taking drivers license exams. Customers were told to make sure they hadtheir cell phones in their pockets, with all sound switched off and the vibrating alert on. Answers were received to exam questions one-by-one, by receiving vibrating messages. One cell phone vibration meant the answer was "A", two meant the answer was "B" and three vibrations was the code to check box "C". Organizers may have netted over 24 million Euros from the scam. |
Regards y feliz cinco de Mayo,
Don Sorensen
Caveon Test Security |
1 > Driving Schools Teach How to Cheat
Guardian Unlimited - UK
...Spaniards may be banned from using mobile phones while they drive, but up to 12,000 of them have found they are perfect for cheating their way through driving tests. Police have closed down 100 driving schools after detecting a cheating system by which answers to a written exam for those seeking a driving licence were sent to clients' mobiles....
|
2 > Cheating with Style: Professors vs. Technology
A&M Panther (subscription) - Prairie View,TX,USA
...With the increasing movement in cellular technology and the increasing number of students owning cell phones, the ability to cheat on an exam has started to become very easy to do. Cell phones aren't the only technological means of cheating on an exam. Other examples are the TI Graphing Calculator series that is capable of holding hundreds of lines of text, and don't forget the increasingly popular PDA organizers.... |
3 > Cause of Diving TAKS Scores Unclear
Dallas Morning News (subscription) - TX,USA
...experts say that school and district leaders should look for reasons that explain the drops. The scores "are very interesting, and in some cases they certainly look suspicious. Before drawing any conclusions about the data, deeper investigation is appropriate," said Jim Impara, director of test security services at Caveon. |
4 > Test Stress and Cheating
Atlanta Journal Constitution (subscription) - GA,USA
...It’s hard to know how widespread cheating is. Do you think it’s happening at your school? Your child’s school? How common is it? What strategies are out there for the overstressed, resourceful educator?... |
5 > The Secret Life of... a school cheater
Tufts Daily - Medford,MA,USA
...Gertrude* estimates that, by Tufts standards, she has cheated in about a third of the classes she has taken throughout her tenure here, whether by copying problem sets, studying from old tests, "collaborating" with fellow students or keeping formulas in her calculator. But she would not call herself a cheater - she prefers to be described as "one who cuts corners."...
|
| Testing Industry News |
2005 NOCA Academy: Seminar III - Forensic Psychometrics
Jack Killorin, Senior Security Advisor, Thomson Prometric
Russell Smith, Psychometrician, Thomson Prometric
May 25th, 2005, 1:00 p.m.—3:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Compromising intellectual property is a primary concern for testing programs. However, studies by Thomson Prometric psychometricians yield surprising data indicating that the actual impact on item and form performance may have limited impact on the performance of a testing program. This presentation will focus on those findings and on using psychometric analysis to measure impact and to identify patterns of fraud and misconduct. |
Performance Testing Council meets May 18 – 20, 2005, Chicago, IL
http://www.performancetest.org/summitinfo.html |
Catalyst Test Improvement Services offers testing programs item editing, item pool expansion and test refurbishing services.
For more information visit: http://www.catalyst-test.com |
| Test Security Tip |
The Keys to Secure Data Management
By Cyndy Fitzgerald, Senior Test Security Director
Even after the test items are safely locked away, your program’s exam results and its associated credential can still be compromised by data mismanagement issues. Secure data management means that the integrity of the program’s test results is protected as well as the examinee’s privacy. Keep in mind that results data are used to make credentialing and screening decisions as well as program decisions. A range of policies is needed to prescribe how this type of information is collected, stored and transmitted.
- Test taker agreements should include a statute of limitations; how long test results are retained, and how long an examinee has to make a challenge.
- Program policy requires that any other information collected during or incident to test administration is stored with the candidate’s test result and will be retained for a specified period of time. Examples include demographic information, survey results, and test administration reports.
- Scores are not reported until it is confirmed that the test taker met eligibility and identification requirements.
- If integrity of a test result or group of test results cannot be confirmed, test scores and decisions based on them are withheld until the score accuracy is confirmed.
- Information regarding test results and examinees is shared in a manner consistent with policies and procedures that protect the integrity of the information and the rights of the examinees.
To read the rest of this article click here. |
| > Cheating in the News Archives > Caveon Services > Cheating Daily > Caveon in the News |
| |
|
Send this page to a friend.
|
|
