Cheating rates rise through middle school and by high school, 51% of students admit to cheating on a test in the past year, and 74% say they have copied another student's homework, according to a 2012 survey of 23, 000 high-school students by the Josephson Institute of Ethics, in Los Angeles, a nonprofit character-education organization.

WSJ: By SUE SHELLENBARGER

"The payoff for cheating, whether it's cheating on a college SAT test or cheating on your wife or cheating in athletic competition, is you'll win and get all the proceeds and accolades that go with the championship, " Walsh said.

CNN: Cheating arises from desires, incentives, pressures

Two years ago, she investigated a cheating ring on the SAT that led to tougher identification requirements for test takers.

WSJ: Cheating Claims Rock Long Island

As we learned from the Atlanta cheating scandal, such administrative discretion is a recipe for fraud, especially when paychecks and career advancement are riding on the test results.

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