Sound testing practices and the high-quality information that can result are helpful to those who have oversight, responsibility, or interest in American education. To the extent that tests provide high-quality information, they form the basis for making accurate judgments about individual students. It is equally true, however, that factors which…

When Gerald W. Bracey heard that John Fremer, a long-time friend and Educational Testing Service psychometrician, had retired and now worked for Caveon.com, a firm dedicated to detecting cheating, Bracey was amused. Snooping for cheats seemed like a trivial pursuit compared to the lofty testing enterprises he had undertaken at ETS. No more. Bracey…

There are only three South Korean universities that count in Koreans' eyes and they enroll 15,000 students, chosen from 873,000 applicants (1.7%), based on the results of a national exam. The night before the national exam, many mothers pray all night in temple. (They also prayed the previous 99 nights, but not so long.) The country comes to a…

This article argues that the validity of standardized achievement test-score interpretation and use is problematic; consequently, confidence and trust in such test scores may often be unwarranted. The problem is particularly severe in high-stakes situations. This essay provides a context for understanding standardized achievement testing, then…

Computer-based assessments are becoming more commonplace, perhaps as a necessity for faculty to cope with large class sizes. These tests often occur in large computer testing venues in which test security may be compromised. In an attempt to limit the likelihood of cheating in such venues, randomised presentation of items is automatically…

Increasing pressure to raise test scores has led to increased cheating by educators. This results in inaccurate information about individual students. Research suggests that significant numbers of teachers witness or participate in cheating and appear increasingly indifferent to cheating. Necessary actions to address the problem of cheating…

The primary benefit of providing out-of-class online quizzes in a face-to-face class is to gain more in-class time. A study designed to investigate this issue was conducted during the Spring 2006 and Spring 2007 semesters. Thirty-one and 34 Corporate Finance undergraduate students from each semester, and 33 and 36 Investments undergraduate…

Plagiarism is a complex, culturally loaded concept which causes much anxiety for both academics and students. Exactly what constitutes plagiarism is dependent on a number of contextual factors. Despite the difficulties associated with defining and detecting plagiarism, it is said to be on the increase, and students from "other cultures"…

Describes a method to prevent and uncover cheating during testing in large university classes. (PR)

"Harvard Education Letter" is published bimonthly at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. This issue of "Harvard Education Letter" contains the following articles: (1) More Than "Making Nice": Getting Teachers to (Truly) Collaborate (Laura Pappano); (2) "Doing the Critical Things First": An Aligned Approach to PreK and Early Elementary Math;…

Online student assessment features in many distance-learning programs. The prevention of plagiarism has been the subject of much attention, but insufficient attention has been given to other problems of dishonesty in online assessment. We survey the types of problems that can occur and what can be done about them. We believe many educators are…

Examined essay-writing tactics ("rules of the game"), cheating behaviors, and approaches to studying in British psychology students. Found widespread occurrence of essay tactics and cheating, with a positive correlation between them. Essay tactics correlated positively with a deep approach to studying and fear of failure, while cheating…

This paper argues that in the information age the closed book, invigilated final examination has become an anachronism. Most significantly, it is an assessment instrument that does not assess deep conceptual understanding and process skills. Indeed, the anecdotal evidence one often hears from students is that "cramming" the night before…

Discusses legal actions taken in Wisconsin and California against the public sale of term papers. Requests the academic community to take the responsibility of helping students in acquiring a constructive view of education. (CC)