If I had to guess, the parents will be held accountable by paying a small fine. And since they have the money, it’s not a punishment that’s really going to hurt them. Their kids will remain in their respective schools and it will all blow over and be forgotten.
To be argumentative ...
- These parents have broken the law and deserve punishment ... but they aren't violent criminals. How does society benefit from them being incarcerated? Okay, they serve as a warning, but is that valuable enough for taxpayers to support them in prison?
- Fines would mean nothing to them.
- I think they should be court-ordered to do something to help public schools /society in general. Build /create /maintain -- and personally work at -- a tutoring center for less-able children?
Does having a lot of money make you stupid? How could anyone think this method of getting into college is good for their kid, and good for that child's adult life? ...
I don't think these parents are stupid, but they think they are "above the rules". I doubt they have an end game; they're just thinking of getting their kids into THE SCHOOL. As a high school teacher, I've known plenty of parents who were absolutely rabid to get their kids into THE SCHOOL ... but they didn't have this type of money.
I read an article that said most of the kids had no clue. How embarrassing to think you got in on merit and turns out nope- mommy and daddy bribed you in. I’m sure some of them (like those getting extra test time) had to know though.
Again, I'm being argumentative ... suppose you're Mama Criminal. You are CAUGHT, and you know it's going to be bad for you. You can't save yourself, but you CAN say that your kid had no idea, and you can attempt to claim that you acted alone. Wouldn't you do it? Wouldn't you throw that Hail Mary pass and try to save your kid? (Remember, you're answering as Mama Criminal.)
I actually know two people myself who attended a major state university online and obtained Bachelors degrees but paid other people to do the work for them. It can be done.
I know people who do that with high school work, but I can't prove it: Mostly it's kids who can't write anything in class, but somehow all assignments (for example papers) that take several days /can be completed outside class are top-quality ... and can't be found online -- and finding plagiarism online is easy: you just pick a sentence (from the middle of the paper) that contains ... unlikely vocabulary or sentence structure, and you'll find it with google quick as anything. Usually it's moms, but occasionally it's girlfriends who do the work. It's not too hard for me to figure out what's happening.
What I can do about this: I point out to the student that his at-home writing is SUPERB, and I ask why he isn't doing as well on simpler, in-class things like short answers on tests? I might ask, "How is it that you've written this A paper, yet on short in-class writing or on test questions you're not using appropriate subject-verb or even capital letters. Now that I know what you're capable of doing, I expect to see this level of competency on ALL your work!" Doesn't fix what I know he didn't write, but it holds his nose to the grindstone for future work in a way that's uncomfortable for him. I always call home in these situations too, to praise the work /let mom know I expect to see him writing like that in class too.
Occasionally Mom's writing is sub-par, and she gets PISSED OFF that he didn't earn an A. Occasionally I'll read the work to class as an example of excellent work; I never say WHOSE it is, but it always makes the kid squirm.
Not always. DD went to school with a girl who cheated her way all the way through high school.
Hey, I went to high school with that girl! She was a member of the yearbook staff and stayed after school frequently, and she pretty much had the run of the place ... she'd go into the teachers' lounge and steal the mimeograph "back sides" out of the trash can, so she'd have copies of the test ahead of time. She also flat-out took papers from teachers' rooms. I personally saw her with tests. We went to a tiny high school, and all of us students knew it, and --
since she was so thoroughly disliked -- people told teachers what she was doing, but none of them ever believed us /couldn't catch her at it. She flunked out of college in a single year -- she had no background and couldn't do the work. Ha. No sympathy from me.
I have seen many instances where the parents (usually moms) do most of the coursework for the kids. Obviously testing would be an issue since the student usually must test in person, but the moms writing the papers and doing assignments is usually enough to pass even if the test scores are low. Depending on the courses, there may never be any tests since many professors only assign papers.
Yep, that's what I was describing above. Alternately, if they're taking a test, kids have a second computer or an ipad handy and look up the answers. The internet has created a wealth of ways for students to cheat. Apple watches are the newest method.
Years ago I bought a small book about How To Cheat on Tests from a clearance table. I was shocked. Having been a teacher for years, I know all the big ways, but I'd never considered some of those ideas.
How gullible are the people who watch this garbage. “I just woke up” but she is in full make up. She obviously woke up and put on a lot of eye makeup and then got back in bed to film.
As a high school teacher, I assure you, this is a teen thing. I don't have to work at looking good. My hair just falls into place like this. No, I'm just wearing a bit of eye shadow. No one believes it.
I love the "I don't want to sound...." "I don't want to come across..."
Kind of admitting that she is entitled, bratty, spoiled, ungrateful, etc., she just doesn't want to sound like that in her vlogs.
There is no way she actually wanted to go to a selective college. If she had generally average ability and all of her parent's money to have tutors, personal athletic coaches, test prep, the best private schools, etc., then she could have achieved high enough to get into USC without the outright cheating IF she had any inclination/motivation towards that.
When I don't want to sound like an entitled, spoiled, ungrateful brat ... I don't speak like an entitled, spoiled, ungrateful brat. Maybe that's just me.
As for wanting to attend a selective college, nah. She's not into it. She sounds just like my students who say, "Yes, I am planning to attend a four-year party." Experience tells me that those are the students who end up attending a one-semester /one-year party ... then they flunk out, but my students don't have this kid's money.
It's all just so disgusting. The thing that especially irks me is that some of these kids "faked" learning disabilities
Oh, this isn't unique. I've seen it in high school; parents who push to get "extra time" or "breaks during tests". I'm not putting down kids who actually need it /use it ... but some parents manage to get it for their kids "just because". Some try to get it added senior year because kids with IEPs can use them in college too ... advanced registration, skipping over dorm room lottery, etc.
And someone wanted the boss gone before any situation he was involved in unraveled like this college scam and the rest of the mob members would be found out? 
And William H. Macy is certainly quite an intelligent guy himself. So why, Why, WHY didn't they pay tutors & specialists to get their kids the proper education to be able to take the tests on their own? 
Apparently the younger one did do well enough to not have to have tests altered & proctors bribed. So, why not help the older daughter the right way? 
But, you can see in the video, "He says bluntly, $10 million isn't enough ... it won't even get noticed by the big universities. He explains the pressures of college admission on his clients and makes it clear ... the clients are not just the students but their parents as well."
