In the high-pressure competition to ranking colleges, Sam Eshaghoff, 19, was a solution for those who long for high scores but lack of the ability or time to secure them. Eshaghoff and six students were arrested on criminal charges for a scheme in which Eshaghoff pretended to be other people to take the SAT exam for them — at the cost of $1,500 to $2,500.
The students came from a prestigious Long Island high school, Great Neck North High School.
Eshaghoff graduated from Great Neck North and went to the University of Michigan before transferring to Emory University.
Rice said that between 2010 and 2011, six students at Great Neck North High School paid him to take the SAT in hopes of achieving a higher score. The six students implicated in the case were not identified because of their ages, a spokesman for the prosecutor said.
The alleged scheme was uncovered (as is often the case) by the students reportedly talking to friends about their scheme for success. Teachers then checked and found sharp differences between SAT scores and their grades.
Source: NY Post
Is this a surprise? When you make a test high stakes you invite this exact thing to happen.
And we know that these tests are not the indicator they pretend to be. Females and people of color score lower on the SAT than their results in college say they should. White males score higher on the SAT that their college performance says they should. Yet School continue to use the test score as if it were valid.
Frankly,
With all due respect, I am not sure the test is to blame for the cheating. As imperfect as the SAT (or any entrance exam) may be, isn’t such a hurdle necessary to wean out applicants? Won’t doing away with the entrance exam even further dumb down our higher education in this country?
Free Enterprise….Kinda of like conscription….
Is this really worth criminal charges? I do not believe that cheating on a test like the SAT merits criminal charges. These students are most likely barred from ever being able to take the SAT or ACT again which greatly harms both their ability to get into most schools and in turn their future prospects. Isn’t that punishment enough? This will follow them for the rest of their lives. It is a good thing that they were caught, but are criminal charges really the answer?
“It is a good thing that they were caught, but are criminal charges really the answer?” (Crime?)
Entitlement anyone?
These guys suffered from the “you be my brain and I’ll be your checking account” syndrome.
Future lobbyists for sure.
Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: [to Igor] Now that brain that you gave me. Was it Hans Delbruck’s?
Igor: [pause, then] No.
Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: Ah! Very good. Would you mind telling me whose brain I DID put in?
Igor: Then you won’t be angry?
This is a crime. The fake student was making $2,000 a test and defrauding the SAT company and subsequent colleges with the fake information. Not allowing it to be a criminal charge is a Dick Cheney type approach to the crime.
Gene,
Great, now I’m going to have to watch THAT tonight…
Perhaps Sam Eshaghoff watched one too many episodes of Suits.
I think I saw this on Shamless but it was funnier
Gyges,
Super duper!
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