Cheating Scandal Prompts New SAT and ACT Security Measures

By |

In the wake of an embarrassing cheating scandal involving at least 20 Long Island, N.Y., high school students, the makers of the SAT and ACT college entrance exams are tightening rules nationwide. Significantly, students will now be required to provide a photograph when signing up for the tests that officials will check against student identification on testing day. The SAT and ACT are used by virtually every American college when making admissions decisions. Last fall, the Nassau County District Attorney charged five teenagers with taking the tests for other students and accused 15 others with paying them $500 to $3,600 to take the tests, The New York Times reports. As many as 50 students may have been involved, the district attorney, Kathleen M. Rice, told the Times.

From the Cold Case Files, a Child Who Shouldn’t Have to be Alone

By |

Jessica is 17 years old and has learned how to take care of herself. She doesn’t quite understand, though, that she shouldn’t have to. Jessica has been in the state custody of Georgia’s Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) since October 2007 when she disclosed that her father had been sexually molesting her for the past two years. After she and her brother and sister were removed, her younger sister also disclosed that their father and their mother had sexually molested her. Both of her parents have been criminally charged, but the cases are still pending after more than three years.

Senate Committee To Reschedule Code Rewrite Hearing

By |

The clock is ticking for supporters of Georgia’s long-awaited juvenile code rewrite.  Crossover day — the critical mid-point in the legislative session, when Senate bills move over to the House of Representatives and House bills transition to the Senate — is now a little less than a week away. So far Senate Bill 127, also known as the Child Protection and Public Safety Act, has not yet made it out of the Senate Judiciary Committee (SJC) and if it does not do so before that critical deadline, it won’t be able to advance any further during this legislative session. That would be a major blow for supporters who have been involved in the rewrite process since 2004. The committee was scheduled to discuss the measure at a hearing Wednesday.