200+ Accused of Teacher Certification Exam Fraud in Texas
Plus, a firefighter in Florida resigns after exam fraud accusation. Plus, ICAI calls for Board members.
Issue 321
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Texas Teacher Certification Exam Fraud
Sent in by a few friends of The Cheat Sheet, it seems that people in Texas had been cheating the state’s teacher certification tests, taking cash in a proxy test-taker scam — teacher aspirants paid the fraudsters and the fraudsters had a ringer take the test with a corrupt proctor.
CNN has one of the stories, which says:
Prosecutors say more than 200 people paid to have someone else take the state certification exam and now are scattered in classrooms across Texas. Local and state education officials are scrambling to track down the now-certified teachers who cheated.
It was, according to reporting, a classic text proxy fraud:
[One suspect] was usually paid $2,500 by teaching certification candidates to have their exams taken by an impersonator at testing centers, where he paid proctors about 20% of that sum to facilitate the cheating, prosecutors said.
[The suspect] allegedly made more than $1 million from the scheme.
And:
Certification candidates would arrive at the testing center, sign in and leave, and “a few minutes later, [another suspect], the proxy tester, would sit in their seat, take and pass the test.”
The million first. Other news outlets are saying, $1.9 million.
Either way, cheating is incredibly, incredibly profitable because people will pay to avoid work — to get the credit without the effort. It’s why academic cheating is a multi-billion dollar global business. That some dude in Texas scored a million dollars by helping people cheat an exam is not surprising at all.
But I do want to point out that cutting in the proctors is where remote or online proctoring is superior to in-person proctoring. Sure, remote proctors have some added vulnerabilities, but bribing or intimidating a remote proctor is pretty impossible since you don’t know them, they are not nearby, and everything is recorded. I know no one will do this because it costs too much money, but if you really want top-tier security and exam proctoring, you should have an in-room proctor and a remote one.
I have two other notes and points I’d like to make about this incident.
One is that this particular scheme was not spotted by the Texas Education Agency, it was cracked by a someone who confessed to cheating. According to the coverage, a former teacher who was applying to be a police officer “notified the education agency.”
This is at least the third time we’ve seen massive fraud in certification exams undone not by the licensing authority, or by exam providers, or by exam security, but because someone dropped a dime (see Issue 231). And it forces me to repeat — if it’s your job to ensure that the people with a license have the skills and competencies needed to do their job, to protect the public, and you’re not catching massive exam fraud, what are you doing?
License quality and rigor ought to be your primary job. No?
I mean, consider this, from the CNN coverage:
A curious pattern became immediately apparent: Investigators discovered that aspiring educators, including many who had failed the exams in other parts of Texas, were traveling for hours to a Houston center where [a prosecutor] said they passed “with flying colors.”
This was in the data and no one noticed. I am not sorry — that is inexcusable. And it proves another point not in need of proving. If you’re not looking for cheating, you won’t find any.
CNN also reports that Pearson VUE was responsible for developing — and I imagine delivering — the teaching exam, although the coverage does not specifically say. Nonetheless, Pearson VUE told CNN:
“Maintaining valid, reliable assessments and public trust is paramount to us,” Pearson spokesperson Allison Bazin said in a statement. “We are committed to integrity in professional certification and licensure testing and actively monitor, investigate, and report suspicious activity or anomalies to our customers. When issues arise, we take decisive action, cooperating fully with customers and law enforcement as required.”
Just not in this case, it seems.
In this case, it seems that many, many people were taking tests outside their home geography, at one particular test center, and passing with high marks. That’s the exact same pattern we saw in the over-hyped “Varsity Blues” admissions scandals. No one noticed that either.
My final point relates to this, from CNN:
Prosecutors said all five defendants face two counts of engaging in organized criminal activity: One felony count based on money laundering because the scheme allegedly yielded over $300,000; and engaging in organized criminal activity based on tampering with a government document stemming from the false statements made when the tests were administered. They have yet to enter pleas.
As was the case in “Varsity Blues” and other organized exam fraud, the criminal charges are not for cheating because in most states, exam or academic cheating is not a crime. In the United States, it’s not a federal crime either.
It’s just another embarrassment. Among way too many.
Florida Fire Chief Resigns “Suddenly,” After Allegations of Exam Cheating
Coverage from the Miami Herald outlines that the Fire Chief in Hialeah, in Miami-Dade County:
resigned suddenly Tuesday, two days after the Miami Herald published a story about allegations of cheating involving testing for the highest ranks of the department.
Hialeah is not a small town, official population more than 220,000. Actually, it’s bigger than that.
It’s worth noting here that the Chief who resigned was not accused of cheating on tests — not directly. The accusation is that preferred candidates for promotion were given test answers ahead of time, a scheme that the now former Chief may have sanctioned or organized.
Having lived in Miami for several years, I can say that it’s a very corrupt place. Last year, for example, prosecutors busted people for cheating on elevator repair and maintenance exams (see Issue 164).
Yes, elevators. And fire fighters. Something to keep in mind the next time someone tells you cheaters only cheat themselves.
ICAI Asks for Board Members
ICAI, the International Center for Academic Integrity, has issued a call for applications/nominees for its Board of Directors. This is the text of their message:
Call for Board of Directors!
ICAI is currently looking for individuals to join our Board of Directors. We are seeking hard working individuals dedicated to the Fundamental Values of Academic Integrity and the mission of ICAI to cultivate integrity in academic communities around the world.
Selection will be made by our current Board of Directors and all are encouraged to apply. In addition to the commitment to our values and the organization, selection will be made based on the need to successfully maintain a diverse board in terms of institution, geographical location, and individual position.To apply, please complete the following application (which includes sending a resume and CV and any other supporting documents to INFO@academicintegrity.org) by November 20, 2024.
Selection notifications will be sent in mid-December for new board member(s) to join online meetings prior to the board meeting at the 2025 Annual Conference in Chicago.
If you are interested in helping lead ICAI and making a more significant contribution to academic integrity, please give this opportunity some consideration.