Fun factoid of the day: Neither the ACT nor the College Board/ETS (giver of the SAT) tells colleges or universities why they cancel student scores. Joe Shmoe faints during a test? Joe Shmoe has his pal Freddy take the test for him? All the same in the testing companies' eyes. They'll cancel the score and let the student take the test again. And this is how they might explain it (as ACT recently did to UCLA):
The ACT cancels scores for a variety of reasons, including illness of the examinee, mis-timing of the test, disturbances or irregularity at the testing site.... It is the ACT policy to treat the ACT's reasoning for canceling a specific score as confidential.
Even in cases where cheating is suspected, as described in today's Los Angeles Times, the testing company investigates students directly--but doesn't tell the high school or college that Joe has run quite the scam.
It seems to me that, although sponsored by external organizations, college entrance exams are inextricably linked to high schools and universities alike. Their value has come into question as some institutions no longer require the scores, but for many students the SAT/ACT remains a significant part of the portfolio. And many colleges still treat it as such. So, if students choose to tinker with their score, is a statement about a student misbehavior a natural extension of a score report?
Fun factoid #2: Apparently this policy has been alive and thriving for over 25 years. Now that's impressive.
