Number of tests taken outside the US will be reduced, audits increased

The administrator of the SAT college entrance exam is taking steps to thwart rampant cheating that has led to cancellation of tests in China and elsewhere in Asia.

The College Board said it will reduce the number of tests given outside the US and step up security audits of various testing centers.

The number of international testing dates will be reduced from six to four for the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 school years. The New York-based exam provider said it will also make it easier for students and teachers to report cheating and that it will increase audits of test centers around the world.

It also will provide names of test prep companies and individuals that the organization suspects of stealing and receiving secure test content and prohibit individuals from taking the SAT, SAT Subject Tests, and Advanced Placement exams when they have attempted to gain an unfair advantage on any of their College Board tests.

"We are unwavering in our commitment to SAT test security and we will continue to confront any efforts to undermine it, including the unauthorized disclosure of test questions and test forms," said Peter Schwartz, the College Board's chief administrative officer and general counsel, in a statement on Tuesday. The College Board didn't respond to a request for further comment.

In January 2016, SAT exams were canceled at 45 testing sites across the Chinese mainland and Macao because test-takers received test materials for the exams.

In 2015, prosecutors in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia charged 15 Chinese citizens over a conspiracy to have impostors take SAT and other college entrance exams for other students for payment of up to $6,000. Most of the defendants pleaded guilty and were deported from the US.

In November 2014, test takers in China and South Korea had their scores invalidated after it was discovered that some students had an unfair advantage on the exam. Another exam administered in the spring of 2013 in South Korea also had to be canceled due to concerns about cheating.

Some within the industry that provides test preparatory sessions have said that it is an open secret that test administrators or test prep teachers get access to materials and pass them on to students taking the test.

Education critics have long criticized standardized testing such as the SAT and ACT exams as ineffective indicators of students' aptitudes and college preparedness. Cheating on standardized exams has occurred in Asia, where students feel pressure to do well on tests and are crucial components for their applications to US colleges and universities.

amyhe@chinadailyusa.com