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SAT, ACT college test makers defend integrity amid scandal

Federal court papers detail how college entrance exam policies aimed at helping students with disabilities were exploited to enable cheating in a massive college admissions bribery scandal.

At least 50 people were charged in the scheme, which included not only admissions test cheating but also bribing coaches to gain admission into elite schools.

An affidavit made public Tuesday alleges that parents were told to seek disability accommodations for their children and then request the exams be given at centers where test administrators were bribed "to allow a third party to facilitate cheating." Court papers say clients paid $15,000 to $75,000 per test structured as charitable donations.

The College Board, maker of the SAT exam, and ACT Inc. provide accommodations for students with medically documented disabilities.

Both defend their exams' integrity.

FILE - In this Sept. 17, 2018 file photo, Felicity Huffman, left, and William H. Macy arrive at the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles. Huffman and Lori Loughlin were charged along with nearly 50 other people Tuesday, March 12, 2019, in a scheme in which wealthy parents bribed college coaches and insiders at testing centers to help get their children into some of the most elite schools in the country, federal prosecutors said. Court papers said a cooperating witness met with Huffman and Macy, at their Los Angeles home and explained the scam to them. The cooperator told investigators that Huffman and her spouse "agreed to the plan." (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File) The Associated Press
FILE - In this Dec. 14, 2014 file photo, UCLA coach Jorge Salcedo reacts during the first half of an NCAA College Cup championship soccer game against Virginia in Cary, N.C. Salcedo was charged along with nearly 50 other people Tuesday, March 12, 2019, in a scheme in which wealthy parents bribed college coaches and insiders at testing centers to get their children into some of the most elite schools in the country, federal prosecutors said. UCLA said that Salcedo has been placed on leave pending a review and will have no involvement with the team. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome, File) The Associated Press
Gordon Caplan of Greenwich, Conn., left, walks out of federal court Tuesday, March 12, 2019, in New York. Fifty people, including Hollywood stars Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, were charged Tuesday in a scheme in which wealthy parents allegedly bribed college coaches and other insiders to get their children into some of the nation's most selective schools. Caplan, who is co-chairman of the international law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher, was accused of paying $75,000 to get a test supervisor to correct the answers on his daughter's ACT exam after she took it. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson) The Associated Press
Gordon Caplan of Greenwich, Conn., center, walks out of federal court Tuesday, March 12, 2019, in New York. Fifty people, including Hollywood stars Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, were charged Tuesday in a scheme in which wealthy parents allegedly bribed college coaches and other insiders to get their children into some of the nation's most selective schools. Caplan, who is co-chairman of the international law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher, was accused of paying $75,000 to get a test supervisor to correct the answers on his daughter's ACT exam after she took it. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson) The Associated Press
Gordon Caplan of Greenwich, Conn., left, walks out of federal court Tuesday, March 12, 2019, in New York. Fifty people, including Hollywood stars Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, were charged Tuesday in a scheme in which wealthy parents allegedly bribed college coaches and other insiders to get their children into some of the nation's most selective schools. Caplan, who is co-chairman of the international law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher, was accused of paying $75,000 to get a test supervisor to correct the answers on his daughter's ACT exam after she took it. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson) The Associated Press