The International Schools Review Forum

Our VP just gave us these proctoring instructions:

[b]Your active supervision is absolutely important to ensure that students are not placed in a position that they might make a poor decision.[/b]

This reminds me of my inner city experience where responsibility for student behavior somehow landed on the shoulders of teachers.

Its common in a technical aspect but enforced form a practical aspect is minor. Students have just become VERY savvy at cheating, and your admins want you to be vigilante to as opposed to the teacher that just plays on their computer or phone during a test administration

Poor decisions like to cheat? Or poor decisions like wrong answers?

[quote]Poor decisions like to cheat? [/quote]

Yes - Their decision to cheat though; nothing to do with the teacher.

Its the wording of it that bothers me, that some poor student might be put in a position of having to cheat because the teacher wasn't watching him closely. It would be like saying that women should avoid dressing provocatively so as not to place men in the position of having to commit sexual assault.

That is ridiculous! The reason I asked my question is I know of instances here in the States where colleagues of mine were essentially told to make sure no one put down the wrong answer. Also ridiculous!

Thats a global scenario and situation, though less common as a whole. Many exams that count such as IB and AP exams are done by independent examiners. Though even they can be motivated to be looking the wrong way.

IB exams are not invigilated by outsiders. They are taken in the school and usually invigilated by the school's teachers, though other adults can be used. Teachers cannot invigilate for the subjects they teach, except for language oral exams and music performances. IB inspectors make the rounds, and you never know when will be your year for a surprise visit.

I don't know personally of any case where an invigilator would turn a blind eye or otherwise help students cheat. Most schools do their very utmost to keep everything above board, as one serious infraction could jeopardize every students' results. It's just not worth the risk.

Not everyone is honest, but I have faith that the IB invigilators as a group are pretty above board. One bad apple spoils the bunch, but invigilators are not apples. One bad invigilator would probably be torn to pieces by his colleagues if ever discovered.

I know a couple instances personally were an examiner looked the other way, dont know what was going through their head. Its the kind of infraction though that costs an examiner their job if discovered.

And it could cost your job if you don't look the other way.

I had a student send her friend to do a resit. I caught them and no exam was taken.....yet somehow they both passed......

I was referring to a member of the IBO inspectorate looking the other way.

IBO is a business, I wouldn't be surprised if proctors were instructed to look the other way at certain schools that are partially owned by the education minister....