Although cheating occurs at all levels of society, it is especially apparent in academic settings. Regardless of the class, there will always be some students willing to pass illicit information to their peers. For this reason, instructors are hesitant to return tests to students to study from.
Since students feel pressure to get high grades, many will try to find a way to gain an unfair advantage. Students who have older siblings or friends in higher grades will have especially easy access to old tests.
“I definitely think cheating is involved when the students have older siblings who keep their past tests,” said freshman Demetra Vlahos. “I’ve heard many kids discuss this, and it’s come to a point where they get perfect scores because they study from old tests.”
It is extremely easy to cheat because of the advancement of technology such as Facebook and digital cameras. People can go on to websites and post their old exams, projects, and assignments. Many teachers are rightfully worried about this.
As a result, teachers must take new measures to ensure that students earn their grades honorably. Many teachers do not allow students to keep their tests in order to prevent them from sharing answers with future students.
“I honestly think that teachers should make multiple tests so that each test that a student receives is different,” said senior Emily Hirooka. “That way, students don’t have the resources to easily cheat.”
Teachers should simply stop handing back students their old tests, and many have already implemented this policy. Although students may complain that they should have old exams as resources to study for their final and Regents exams, it is necessary to thwart any possible forms of cheating.
In a school that prides itself on its academic excellence, cheating simply should not happen. Teachers are justified in not handing back old tests, and the school should continue to implement this policy strictly.