Stuyvesant students describe the how and the why of cheating

Based on your reading of Case 1.17 (Cheating ---) discuss the questions at the end of the case. In addition please answer the following:

If you observe a classmate cheating on an exam, would you inform the professor during the exam? Justify your answer.

Discussion Questions

1. One student said that the lines got “blurry” and that’s why they cheated. What did the student mean, and what have you read in Unit I that might help this student with his take on the situation at the school?

2. Is it possible to act unethically to reach a goal and then change behaviors once the goal is reached?

3. What advice would you give to the administrators of the school in order to help them curb cheating?Case 1.17 Cheating: Hows, Whys, and Whats and Do Cheaters Prosper? Culture of Excellence High School Cheating: A Case Study at a First-Rate High School Stuyvesant High School is an elite New York City high school that the “best of the best” high school students attend. Stuyvesant is ranked as the best of nine free public schools in New York City that admit students on the basis of their scores in the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT). The students are counseled and groomed for admission into elite colleges and universities. They also know that their grades are key determinants in getting into those schools. Stuyvesant’s website posts scores of students who got into certain schools, along with their SAT scores and averages. As a result, one student described it as follows: “It became a numbers game. It was kind of addictive in a bad way, in a sick way. People will assume, well, I have a 92, most kids who got into that school got a 94, so there’s no way I can get in.“ As a result, 80% of the students at the high school indicated that they had cheated in some way while at the school, including copying homework from a Facebook site, tipping off classmates who were taking an exam in the same class later in the day, hiding formulas in sleeves or bathroom stalls and then using a restroom break to get that information, Googling questions and getting information on an iPhone (such as facts for history or a formula they had forgotten for math), and taking photos of test questions for their friends. In a bizarre way, the competitive students developed a sort of cheating cooperative in which they shared answers, workload, and talents in order to get the GPA numbers that they needed for elite colleges and universities. For example, they had tapping systems worked out for signaling each other answers on exam questions during the test. Copying homework did not carry any disciplinary actions and that’s why the students felt free to post the assignments on Facebook. Students also noted that they cheated because it was a way to get into the college or university they wanted and that they could then return to ethical behavior once they reached that goal. New York Magazine referred to this attitude as the practice of “cheating upwards.”