Letters: SAT crimes and punishment

Newsday received a number of letters about the young man charged with taking the SAT college-entrance exam for others, to boost their scores. Here are a few.
 

When I heard about the incident where a number of high school students allegedly paid someone else to take the SAT exam for them, it brought me back to the 1970s when I was chairman of the English Department at Darien High School in Connecticut. Working on a tip that I had received from a teacher, we found that two young men had arranged to do the exact same thing.

The incident culminated in a confrontation in the principal's office with the two students and their parents. I suggested that a written account of what they had planned be sent to the colleges to which they applied, along with their scores. But their guidance counselor and the teacher who had uncovered the plot echoed almost the same words of Scott H. Greenfield ["Don't put SAT cheaters in jail," Opinion, Sept. 30]: The students "who have yet to get into college will have little chance of being accepted to the colleges of their dreams."

The result? To my dismay, the boys were, in essence, told to play nice and never do anything like that again. I was dumbfounded. I had attended a New York City public high school (De Witt Clinton) and taught in another of the city's public high schools for eight years. If this happened at either of those schools, justice would have been swift and by the book.

No one can tell me that the rules for the middle class are the same as those for the privileged, but they should be. The sons and daughters of privilege already have a leg up on everyone else. They are expected to attend the best colleges and universities in the country -- almost as an entitlement (hence, the pressure to get in). But, history has shown us what often happens when Ivy Leaguers, sans integrity, get to occupy responsible positions of trust.

John A. Black, Centerport

Editor's note: The writer is an adjunct professor at Nassau and Suffolk community colleges.
 

Publicity-seeking Nassau District Attorney Kathleen Rice has just lost my vote ["Exam scam; 6 Great Neck students paid suspect to take the SAT for them, DA says," News, Sept. 28].

The crime of taking SATs for other students is not an indictable offense that requires jail time. If we filled our jails with teenage stupidity, they would be at capacity.

Ellie Adelman, Plainview
 

The story of the young man allegedly taking SAT tests for high school students shook me to my core, as a parent of three children who are in college or graduated. Where are the parents of these children, and where did the financing come from?

I applaud DA Rice's discussion about notifying colleges when cheating has occurred. She is correct that a coveted spot should not be lost for a deserving student.

Theresa Pando, Garden City
 

We must wonder why teenagers will risk all they have worked so hard for by cheating on the SAT. Is it because they are under such tremendous pressure to do well and get into one of the best colleges? Is it because, even after 13 years of studying hard day and night, tremendous emphasis is still placed on this one test?

I'm not excusing those who cheat, just wondering what drives them to it. I think the answer may be the adults in their lives and the systems put in place by adults. Before we revamp the SAT test-taking process, maybe we should first re-evaluate its value.

Cindy Marshall, Wantagh