VOA慢速英语--大学董事会计划增加入学考试的安全性

 

The group responsible for a widely used college admissions test cancelled scores for a number of students who took the test in January.

Those students took the international SAT, formerly¹ known as the Scholastic² Aptitude³ Test. The College announced it is studying the scores of other students who took the January test.

The non-profit College Board, which develops the SAT, said on Wednesday it is taking steps to try to reduce cheating on the admissions test.

Results from the SAT and Advanced Placement, or AP, exams can help or hurt students interested in attending an American college or university.

Reducing test dates to prevent cheating

The College Board said there will only be four dates on which students can take the SAT during the 2017-2018 school year and the following school year. There are usually six test dates each year.

The international SAT test date in June 2017 has been canceled. The coming year's test dates will be in October and December 2017, and in March and May of 2018.

Fewer test dates mean SAT questions are less likely to be stolen. That is because the College Board often re-used questions from one test to another in the past.

Re-Using SAT questions increases cheating

SAT exams with new questions are first given in the United States. After that, the exams are sent to test centers in other countries. Students in some areas can buy the questions from test-preparation companies before they take the test.

It takes a long time for the College Board’s members to write and agree on questions for the test. So, it is not surprising that an SAT exam would include some questions from earlier exams.

The College Board announced steps to prevent people who have cheated in the past from taking the test again. The group is also informing law enforcement about the groups and individuals it thinks are taking the test’s content illegally. It is asking test center administrators⁵ and test-takers themselves to report cases of cheating anonymously⁶.

Peter Schwartz is the College Board's chief administrative⁷ officer and general counsel. He said in a written statement that his organization is doing all it can to protect the exam questions.

"We are unwavering in our commitment to SAT test security and we will continue to confront any efforts to undermine it."

However, critics say the custom of repeating questions from one test to another makes it possible for students to share information after they take the test.

Bob Schaeffer is the public education director for FairTest: National Center for Fair & Open Testing. He says the College Board did not promise to stop re-using test questions.

"The most important thing is what they did not say. They did not say they're going to stop recycling tests, which is the primary tool used in all these international cheating scandals."

Schaeffer went on to say that communication through social media makes it impossible to stop people from sharing the test questions after they have taken a test.

"The only way to stop unethical test-prep companies and individuals from gaining advance knowledge of upcoming test items is to stop reusing test questions."

Zachary Goldberg works for the College Board. He noted⁸, "We are reducing re-use, it's in the announcement. We recognize that's an issue."

The announcement said that "the College Board has increased test form development to reduce reuse."

Test writers working at the Educational Testing Service are responsible for the SAT, the Test of English as a Foreign Language, or TOEFL, and the Graduate Record Exam, or GRE. These tests have all been involved in cases of cheating that were reported in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Criminal cases of test cheating

In January 2016, the College Board cancelled test dates at 45 test centers in China and Macau. The cancellation⁹ came after the College Board found that students may have received copies of the tests in advance.

A group of 15 Chinese faced federal charges in 2015. Those charges were related to sending fake passports for people to take the SAT and other college entrance exams in Pennsylvania. They had been cheating since 2011.

Chinese students had paid up to $6,000 to have someone else take college admission tests for them. Most of the 13 people who were found guilty of the cheating have been returned to China.

Restoring trust in the tests

The Reuters news service reported that the College Board knew that some parts of the tests they gave overseas last year were not secure.

Steve Syverson is an administrator⁴ at the University of Washington, Bothell. He formerly served on the National Association for College Admission Counseling. He told Reuters that the College Board will need to find a way to return to the time when test scores could be trusted.

“The College Board does a lot of good things, but it will clearly be a major challenge for them to restore trust in the integrity of the test.”

Words in This Story

recycle - v. to use (something) again

challenge - n. a difficult task or problem

content – n. something contained; the issues treated in a written work

anonymously – adj. of or related to an unnamed individual

score – n. result; the number of points that someone gets for correct answers

unwavering – adj. continuing in a strong way

commitment – n. an agreement or promise to do something

confront – v. to face something difficult

fake – adj. a worthless copy of something

scandal – n. damage to image; an apparent moral or ethical violation

1 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

2 scholastic   

adj.学校的，学院的，学术上的

参考例句：

• There was a careful avoidance of the sensitive topic in the scholastic circles.学术界小心地避开那个敏感的话题。
• This would do harm to students' scholastic performance in the long run.这将对学生未来的学习成绩有害。

3 aptitude   

n.(学习方面的)才能，资质，天资

参考例句：

• That student has an aptitude for mathematics.那个学生有数学方面的天赋。
• As a child,he showed an aptitude for the piano.在孩提时代，他显露出对于钢琴的天赋。

4 administrator   

n.经营管理者，行政官员

参考例句：

• The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
• He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。

5 administrators   

n.管理者( administrator的名词复数 )；有管理（或行政）才能的人；（由遗嘱检验法庭指定的）遗产管理人；奉派暂管主教教区的牧师

参考例句：

• He had administrators under him but took the crucial decisions himself. 他手下有管理人员，但重要的决策仍由他自己来做。 来自辞典例句
• Administrators have their own methods of social intercourse. 办行政的人有他们的社交方式。 来自汉英文学 - 围城

6 anonymously   

ad.用匿名的方式

参考例句：

• The manuscripts were submitted anonymously. 原稿是匿名送交的。
• Methods A self-administered questionnaire was used to survey 536 teachers anonymously. 方法采用自编“中小学教师职业压力问卷”对536名中小学教师进行无记名调查。

7 administrative   

adj.行政的，管理的

参考例句：

• The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
• He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。

8 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

9 cancellation   

n.删除，取消

参考例句：

• Heavy seas can cause cancellation of ferry services.海上风浪太大，可能须要取消渡轮服务。
• Her cancellation of her trip to Paris upset our plan.她取消了巴黎之行打乱了我们的计划。