据报道,一门热门大学入学考试的制定商解雇了其考试安全负责人。路透社报道称,非营利性组织ACT公司目前计划审查大约200家教育中心。
The moves come after Reuters reported widespread cheating in an ACT–owned college preparatory program for international students.
此举发生在路透社报道了ACT旗下针对国际学生的大学预备课程大面积作弊之后。
Rachel Schoenig heads a security team for thousands of ACT exam centers worldwide. She will leave ACT Inc. next month, said individuals with knowledge of the move. It is not clear if the organization will replace her.
Rachel Schoenig领导的安全小组负责全球范围内的数千家ACT考试中心。知情人透漏,下个月她将离开ACT公司。目前尚不清楚该组织是否会更换她。
In June, a test released without the permission of ACT, Inc. forced it to cancel exams in Hong Kong and South Korea.
今年六月,一场考试未经ACT公司授权被公布出去,迫使其取消了香港和韩国的考试。
Schoenig's team repeatedly proposed ways to improve security overseas before the test cancellations. However, ACT officials rejected those suggestions, Reuters reported.
路透社报道称,在考试之前,Schoenig的团队多次提出了提升海外考试安全的办法。然而ACT公司拒绝了这些建议。
Several other top security officials left ACT Inc. recently.
其他几位高级安全官员最近离开了ACT公司。
ACT spokesperson Ed Colby said he did not want to talk with Reuters about the changes. But he added, "Nothing has changed regarding ACT's commitment to test security and to providing a fair and level playing field for all examinees, nor to our ongoing efforts to improve our testing and security procedures."
ACT公司发言人Ed Colby表示,他不想和路透社谈及这些变化。但他补充说,“ACT公司对考试安全以及为所有考生提供一个公平公正的竞争环境的承诺不会改变,我们也将继续努力提高我们的考试和安全程序。”
The College Board
美国大学理事会
ACT's main competitor in college entrance exams is the College Board, which administers the SAT. Thousands of American colleges use the ACT and SAT when judging students for admission.
ACT公司在大学入学考试上的主要竞争对手是管理SAT考试的大学理事会。数千所美国高校在招生时采用ACT考试和SAT考试成绩来评定学生。
The SAT, like the ACT, continues to have security problems. Last week, hundreds of questions for future SAT exams were made public without the College Board's permission.
SAT考试也和ACT考试一样存在安全问题。上周,数百道未来SAT考试的考题未经大学理事会授权被公开。
A College Board spokesperson said the organization is investigating "a serious criminal matter."
大学理事会的一位发言人表示,该组织正在调查这起“严重的犯罪行为”。
Reuters reported in March that test-preparation businesses in East Asia had found security weaknesses in the SAT. Often, students overseas are given questions from tests already used in the United States. The test-preparation businesses harvest information from the earlier exams, enabling students to memorize questions that are recycled for international versions of the SAT.
路透社三月份报道称,东亚的备考机构发现了SAT考试的安全漏洞。通常海外考生会考到美国已经考过的考题。这些备考机构从这些之前的考试中收集信息,让学生们记住这些会在SAT海外考试中重复使用的考题。
The Global Assessment Certificate Program
全球评估证书课程(简称GAC课程)
Last month, reports showed cheating in the ACT–owned Global Assessment Certificate Program (GAC). The program has about 5,000 students, mostly in Asia.
上个月有报道显示ACT旗下的GAC课程存在作弊。该课程拥有大约5千名学生,其中大多数在亚洲。
Seven students who attended three GAC centers in China told about how school officials and exam proctors ignored the cheating. The students said those individuals sometimes even helped students cheat on the ACT.
中国3家GAC中心的7名学生讲述了学校官员和监考人员如何无视这种作弊。学生们表示,这些人有时候甚至帮助学生们在ACT考试中作弊。
Eight teachers or administrators who have worked at seven different GAC centers also described cheating.
8名曾经在7家不同的GAC中心工作的教师或管理人员也介绍了这种作弊。
Andrew Todd is the leader of the ACT office that oversees the GAC program. He said he was "a bit shocked" by news of the cheating.
安德鲁·托德(Andrew Todd)是负责监督GAC课程的ACT办公室的负责人。他说自己对作弊的新闻感到有点震惊。
ACT Inc. policy bars test preparation businesses from giving the ACT to students. The reason for this policy is that the businesses could easily provide information about the test to their students.
ACT公司政策禁止备考机构向学生提供ACT考试。原因是这些机构能够轻易地向学生们提供考试有关的信息。
But six GAC centers – five in China and one in South Korea – had administered the ACT while also selling test preparation services.
但是6家GAC中心在提供备考服务的同时还管理着ACT考试。这6家GAC中心其中有5家在中国,还有1家在韩国。
Todd said he did not remember such a policy. "If it is a policy, I should have known about it," he said.
托德表示,他不记得有这种政策。他说,“如果有这种政策,我应该早就知道。”
Admissions offices react to the reports
招生办公室对相关报道的反应
Most of the students in the GAC program take the ACT. The GAC program is recognized by admissions offices at more than 60 colleges in the United States. Some colleges give credit for completing the GAC program.
GAC课程的大多数学生参加ACT考试。GAC课程得到了美国60多所大学的招生办公室的认可。一些大学对完成GAC课程授予学分。
Todd said ACT Education Solutions had contacted the colleges affiliated with the GAC program and told them "we are dealing with the situation."
托德表示,ACT Education Solutions公司已经联系了和GAC课程存在关联的大学,并告诉他们,“我们正在处理这种情况。”
51VOA注:ACT Education Solutions公司是ACT全资子公司,GAC课程即该公司产品。
Officials at several universities contacted by Reuters said they were concerned about the reports of cheating.
路透社联系的几所大学的官员表示,他们对作弊报道感觉担忧。
Katharine Johnson Suski is the director of admissions at Iowa State University. She said she plans to examine the success rates of GAC students.
Katharine Johnson Suski是爱荷华州立大学的招生负责人。她说她准备审查GAC学生的成功率。
In an email, she wrote "We will also discuss the steps we will take moving forward and whether we are comfortable continuing our relationship with GAC and, if so, in what ways."
她在电子邮件中表示,“我们还将讨论我们后续将采取的步骤以及是否继续同GAC合作,以及如果真这样,要怎么处理。”
I'm John Russell.
我是约翰·罗素。(51VOA.COM对本文翻译保留全部权利,未经授权请勿转载,违者必究!)