Cheating

Reporting from Chicago -- Casey Blake accused Ted Lilly of cheating on Thursday, trying unsuccessfully to persuade the umpires that the Chicago Cubs pitcher should have been cited for starting his windup on some pitches from in front of the rubber. "I know he doesn't have an overpowering fastball," Blake said. "I know he's trying to get as much of an edge as he can. But he moved in. "That's cheating. You've got to stay on the rubber." Lilly did not hesitate to fire back.

Re "Cheating or Not, Shortcut on Homework Roils School," May 21: How refreshing to read of some intelligent parents who see their children can do wrong. Cheating is cheating, and I do not accept any form of it. My kids have been taught they get their straight A's the old-fashioned way -- they earn them. To those parents defending their little Johnnie's actions in shortcutting the math learning experience, I say you are developing future Enron citizens and are doing a disservice to your family.

The first signs of tampering on the California Assessment Program test were revealed with the help of a special electronic scanner used by the state Department of Education to evaluate entries on answer sheets. According to a report released Thursday by the Los Angeles Board of Education, this is how the scanner worked: Each question had three or four possible answers. Students used pencils to mark their choices. The scanner divided pencil marks into three categories.

A Cal State Northridge student and his UCLA accomplice were sentenced to two years probation Tuesday after they pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges of falsifying a driver's license to cover up a test-cheating scheme. San Fernando Municipal Court Commissioner Richard A. Margolin also ordered UCLA student Parousia Liu to pay $445 or spend five days in jail. CSUN student Tony H. Lee, who received credit for one day in jail, was ordered to pay $364 or spend four days in jail.

The 1998 Mrs. Pennsylvania gave up her crown Wednesday, one day after four pageant organizers were charged with rigging the contest. In a statement released before pageant officials were expected to vote on whether to dethrone her, Rhonda Lewan said she didn't know about the scheme. "I was an unwitting pawn in this alleged deception," Lewan said. Pageant officials will decide today who will replace Lewan.

Trojan fans just don't get it. As usual, in response to a thorough and well-documented story of scholastic cheating, the Saturday sports letters column was full of whining writers complaining about the Trojans being picked on. Several points: Yes, I attended one or two gut courses myself. However, I attended the class, did all the work, as did the athletes in said class. According to one interviewee, an athletic department representative almost took on the role of a T.A., and, in fact, helped athletes who had never shown up to appear at the final exam and sign exams they did not even take.

A survey published Sunday indicates many college football coaches think their peers knowingly cheat. Results of the survey that drew responses from 66 of 104 major-college head coaches were reported in the Rocky Mountain News. Forty-one of the responding coaches said they thought some of their peers knowingly cheat. "Everybody pushes the limit," California's Bruce Snyder said. "All of us work the rules to our advantage. And in the pushing process, some go over the line."

This letter is in response to Hugh Glenn's article on testing, grades and cheating ("Preoccupation With Testing and Grades Fosters Cheating," Sept. 5). Glenn states that the public and schools have a deep-rooted preoccupation and fetish with testing and grading, including widespread cheating--by students and educators alike. I don't know if testing and grading are as deep-rooted and a fetish as they are required by law. And how else to ascertain how well a student is receiving and retaining information?

Six cadets have resigned from the Air Force Academy during an investigation in which 70 freshmen cadets are accused of cheating on a 25-question online test. Fourteen of the other 64 being investigated have admitted cheating, academy spokesman Johnny Whitaker said. There are about 1,150 freshmen at the academy.

An academic honesty policy outlining the consequences for cheating students has been adopted by the Fullerton School District and will take effect in the fall. Children in grades four through six caught cheating for the first three times will face penalties, including lost credit on affected assignments, and their parents will be notified. On their fourth offense, they could face a two-day suspension, and their parents will be called for a conference with the teacher and principal.