30 Percent Of Newton North Claimed Learning Disabilities For SATs

NEWTON, MA — Newton Public School District has a problem with students falsely identifying as learning-challenged, according to Superintendent David Fleishman. It's not special to Newton, the Wall Street Journal reports, but one in three students claimed they had some form of learning disability, which allowed them to get extra time to take the SAT tests.

Some of it, may be attributed to changes at the College Board, which administers the test. The organization changed how they approved special accommodations for language learners in 2017, to the cheers of families around the country. They made it easier for students to request extra time, more breaks or a quieter room when taking the SAT. Along with that, the College Board's accommodation has grown in recent years, according to NorthJersey.com.

“Do I think that more than 30% of our students have a disability?” Fleishman told the Wall Street Journal. “No. We have a history of over-identification [as learning-challenged] that is certainly an issue in the district.”

Fleishman told the WSJ nearly every time a student sees a private counselor for evaluation, it seems they leave with a recommendation for a special accommodation.

Of course there are students at Newton North who have legitimate learning disabilities. But at Newton North one in three students indicated they do, which is well above the average, according to WSJ. Fleishman said Newton is working to reduce the number.

This revelation comes as the Boston Federal Courts have indicted dozens of wealthy parents, accusing them of cheating the system in an effort to get their children into college. It's been dubbed the largest college-admissions scam case of its kind federally prosecuted.

A wiretapped conversation chronicled in Boston Federal court documents highlights how the scam relied on abusing that extended time provision.

Witness 1, admissions consultant William “Rick” Singer of California who thought up the scam, tells a parent who was wiretapped, how it would work:

“We need to get your daughter tested for a learning difference,” the court document quotes Witness 1 [Singer] as saying. “Here’s why. If she gets tested for a learning difference, and let’s say it’s my person that does it, or whoever you want to do it, I need that person to get her 100 percent extended time over multiple days. So what that means is, we’ll have to show that there’s some discrepancies in her learning, which there’s gotta be anyways. And if she gets 100 percent ... then — I own two schools — I can have her test at one of my schools, and I can guarantee her a score."

Singer ultimately pleaded guilty March 12 to racketeering conspiracy and other crimes and is cooperating with investigators.

Read the full Wall Street Journal article here, though there is a paywall.

Also read:

Another Wealthy Parent Pleads Guilty In College Admission

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).