The Deterrence Lockbox

Various Authors

Deterrence in the Wild:
Part 1
In the words of Helen Keller, "Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much."
To help further our dialogue on deterrence and better understand how it functions in the assessment industry, we asked a few respected test security experts about their personal experiences with deterrence. How have they utilized it in their testing programs, and what value have they received in return?
Let's draw on the insight and wisdom of our colleagues as we work together in pursuit of increased test security, fairness, and exam validity.
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Copyright© 2019 Caveon, LLC.
Rory McCorkle, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President of Certification and Education Services, PSI Services
Kevin Jolly
Global Security and Compliance Manager, PSI Services
What are the benefits and/or drawbacks of broadcasting existing test security measures in order to discourage cheating or theft?
RM: "While the debate continues as to whether disseminating security measures reduces test cheating or IP theft, we have found that certification programs can invigorate cheating deterrence by increasing transparency.
"The benefits of advising the examinee of security measures ahead of exam administration are two-fold: first, it restates to the candidate the importance of the exam, why its security needs to be taken seriously and that consequences for cheating will be severe. Second, it increases the confidence the candidate has in the certification itself, knowing that the certification program is doing all it can to uphold validity.
"Potential drawbacks of communicating exam security measures include the perception of how the message will be received, as it goes to everyone, not just cheaters. Potentially it could be misconstrued as 'We don’t trust you'. And some might make a presumption that the exam has a validity problem. Or, that if you disclose what you are policing, it may reveal a weakness for a would-be bad actor to cheat.
"These are largely perception-based. By providing detailed procedures and consequences, we can redefine the reality and neutralize any negative perceptions. In the end, deterrence is strengthened by the examinees themselves through their own behavior modification, informed by clearly articulated exam security policies."
What is the value of informing examinees of the specific consequences for breaking test security rules?
RM: "As we continue to work in global, multi-cultural environments, I have seen the benefits of not only informing examinees of the consequences for breaking rules, but also of specific examples of the rules. When we provide examinees clear descriptions of what constitutes these violations, we remove any doubt or confusion about what misconduct looks like.
"Additionally, when adding the consequences of breaking these rules, we can then ensure examinees are forewarned about what constitutes misconduct, as well as the penalties. This is no different than what we would expect from systems that are laid out in the rule of law in any jurisdiction.
"By taking these steps, we seek to dissuade the opportunistic examinee, as well as demonstrate to ‘rule-abiding’ examinees the repercussions to facilitate their participation in tip lines and other measures that empower those who play by the rules."
Drawing on your experience, what is a practical action that testing programs can implement to deter individuals from cheating or stealing test content?
KJ: "We recommend developing a certification exam policy and communication of the same to ensure candidates are aware of the security procedures your program has in place. This needs to be done early and often. From your program’s website to the multiple touch points with your candidate, you outline and emphasize what they should expect, and in no uncertain terms, state what the consequences are for cheating. A policy must have teeth so that its enforcement is taken seriously.
"Another critical action is the use of data forensics to identify candidates who may have committed misconduct. Using sophisticated statistics, organizations can identify patterns in pass rates, similarity between candidate responses, and trends in exam time and scores that may identify irregularities, even if nothing was caught during the exam delivery process. As cloud-based data and processing power increase dramatically, this analysis can be conducted more quickly than ever before, and remediation actions taken.
"A strong and holistic exam policy is one of the strongest deterrence tools a certification program possesses. Why? Because it’s one of the few variables that are completely in its control. The quality of the policy and its accessibility will, over time, help to engineer behavior modification. Greater deterrence and less cheating lead to more compliance with certification test-taking policies."
Rachel R. Watkins Schoenig
Founder & CEO, Cornerstone Strategies, LLC
Walt Drane, Ed.S.
Director of Education Services, Caveon Test Security
Find out what other industry experts are saying about deterrent measures in testing—head over to "Deterrence in the Wild: Part 2"!