Commercial cheating services, operating within Georgia, have been outlawed.
The Crackdown on Cheating Services: Georgia's Groundbreaking Move
Let's face it, helping students cheat is now a big no-no in Georgia. Last week, Governor Brian Kemp made it official by putting his John Hancock on House Bill 1083. This law bans individuals and entities from providing or causing the provision of completed work products that could, reasonably, pass as part of an assessment task.
This broad law covers students from public, private, and home-schooled K-12 to college students, as well as those taking courses or seeking certifications for career licenses or credentials in the state. The law also applies to any corporation or organization profiting from selling answers, essays, or other academic work that can sway grades, credits, or certifications.
In simple terms, the law is cracking down on contract cheating, a global, multibillion-dollar industry that experts say is undermining the very foundation of education by allowing students to buy grades and diplomas. Many countries like Ireland, Australia, and England have already taken measures to ban contract cheating, though with varying success. And in the US, contract cheating has largely been left unchecked... until now.
The Credential Integrity Action Alliance: A Powerful Force
To change this, a new coalition of education institutions and leaders has formed. Known as the Credential Integrity Action Alliance (CIAA), this group includes esteemed universities such as Western Governors University and University of Maryland, Global Campus, as well as educational companies like Pearson VUE, Wiley, CompTIA, Proctorio, and Turnitin.
Rachel Schoenig, CEO of Cornerstone Strategies and Board Member of CIAA, explained, "The CIAA members have come together to lead a change in US laws regarding commercial cheating services." Michael Clifton, an executive director at CIAA and vice president at Cornerstone Strategies, added, "The CIAA aims to raise awareness about the harm caused by these services and actively change the laws."
The laws the CIAA are advocating for are more comprehensive and advanced than existing laws in other countries and some states. According to Schoenig, "Our legislative efforts go even further by protecting not only higher education integrity but also the credentialing and licensure assessments that support workforce readiness and public safety."
These laws aim to close loopholes and hold entities accountable if they know or should know their services are being used to undermine academic or assessment integrity. As Schoenig puts it, "Cheating service providers have been using loopholes in existing statutes to advertise and encourage cheating without consequences. Our model statute aims to address these issues and hold entities accountable."
The Challenge Ahead
Georgia is the first state to take a modern approach to addressing contract cheating. But CIAA leaders say this is just the beginning. The group is already working on implementing similar laws in other states and plans to keep contract cheating companies on their toes.
Let's be real, folks. Cheating to pass exams and secure grades is a shameful practice, and for far too long, it's been flourishing in the US. With the CIAA's efforts and laws like the one in Georgia, it seems change is finally on the horizon. It's high time we started taking academic integrity seriously!
- The Credential Integrity Action Alliance, with members from esteemed universities and educational companies, is advocating for more comprehensive laws to address contract cheating, aiming to raise awareness and protect academic and assessment integrity.
- The CIAA's model statute seeks to hold entities accountable for using loopholes to advertise and encourage cheating, with an aim to address these issues and close loopholes, especially in the context of general news and education-and-self-development.
