Georgia Prohibits Commercially Operated Examination Fraud Services
Transforming the Tide: Georgia Cracks Down on Academic Dishonesty
Breaking new ground, Georgia has made it unlawful to receive compensation for providing ready-made school assignments or exam answers, as Gov. Brian Kemp authorized Senate Bill 213. This move is aimed at tackling the alarming issue of contract cheating, a global, multibillion-dollar industry that's been eroding the foundations of education by offering grades for a price.
The legislation targets not just K-12 students but also college students, home-schooled students, and anyone pursuing career licenses or certifications in Georgia. Furthermore, it casts a wide net, implicating "individuals, partnerships, firms, LLCs, associations, corporations, and other unincorporated organizations" that profit from selling essays, answers, or academic work that can be used for grading, credits, or certifications.
Known as contract cheating, this practice is commonly disguised as tutoring or "homework help" and has ravaged the integrity of education worldwide. Countries like Ireland, Australia, and England have already taken steps to outlaw contract cheating, with varying degrees of success. In the United States, however, it has largely remained unregulated, making Georgia the 19th state to formalize legal measures against the practice.
However, the real story behind this legislative shift lies in a formidable alliance—The Credential Integrity Action Alliance (CIAA), a coalition of education institutions and leaders. Founding members of the CIAA include schools like Western Governors University and the University of Maryland, Global Campus, as well as leading education companies such as Pearson VUE, Wiley, CompTIA, Proctorio, and Turnitin.
Rachel Schoenig, CEO of Cornerstone Strategies and a Board Member of CIAA, expressed their mission: "We are coming together to change the laws in the U.S. and to raise awareness about the harm caused by commercial cheating services." Michael Clifton, an executive director at CIAA and vice president at Cornerstone Strategies, elaborated: "Our aim is to raise awareness of the harm caused by commercial cheating services and to actively change the laws. Commercial cheating services undermine education, workforce readiness, and our professional licensure protections."
The laws that CIAA is advocating for are more sweeping and stringent than existing laws in other nations and some states. According to Schoenig, the CIAA strategy goes beyond safeguarding higher education integrity; it reaches out to credentials and licensure assessments that support workforce readiness and public safety.
"Current U.S. laws are inadequate to dampen cheating providers," Schoenig noted, "Commercial cheating services can advertise and encourage cheating without repercussions. Most states have archaic laws that pre-date the internet and are ill-equipped to manage today's issues. Cheating service providers take advantage of these antiquated laws for their own gain."
For instance, Schoenig explained, these commercial cheating providers often exploit loopholes by branding their work as tutoring or by burying their obligations in fine print. CIAA's model statute is designed to plug these loopholes and to hold entities responsible if they know or should know their services are undermining academic or assessment integrity.
Both Schoenig and Clifton emphasized the very real and blatant threats posed by contract cheating providers in the educational and assessment community. Clifton warned: "Contract cheating providers aren't here to help; their sole motivation is profit, at the expense of the U.S. public."
Georgia may be the first state to introduce a modern approach to combating contract cheating, but CIAA leaders believe it shouldn't be the last. The group anticipates working with other states to enact similar laws and to keep academic cheating companies in check. It's high time U.S. education steered clear of the practice of profiting from academic fraud.
As the alliance, The Credential Integrity Action Alliance (CIAA), works towards changing laws and raising awareness about contract cheating nationwide, the discussion on tackling this issue extends beyond education-and-self-development to politics and general-news. Michael Clifton, an executive director at CIAA and vice president at Cornerstone Strategies, stated, "Our aim is to raise awareness of the harm caused by commercial cheating services and to actively change the laws." In alignment with this mission, Rachel Schoenig highlighted, "The laws that CIAA is advocating for are more sweeping and stringent than existing laws in other nations and some states, reaching out to credentials and licensure assessments that support workforce readiness and public safety."
