Cheating in the Classroom:

How to Prevent It and

How to Handle It if It Happens

"We sometimes forget the seriousness of not preventing and handling cheating in our
classrooms. If students can cheat on a test, it sends the message that they do not have to
pay attention, do the homework, or study the subject you are working so hard to
teach," says classroom management expert Howard Seeman. Besides, Seeman says, if
cheaters get away with cheating -- ,3/ get higher grades because they cheat -- that sends
a de-motivating message to the hard-working students in your classroom. Included:
Seeman offers easy-to-apply advice for preventing cheating 5:8 tips on dealing with
cheating if it does happen.
Is cheating a problem in your school or classroom? Are you at a loss about how you can
prevent it Irom happening -- or about how to handle it iI it /408 occur? ProIessor Howard
Seeman shares the Iollowing six tips to help you head
oII the cheaters beIore they strike!
Howard Seeman

ProIessor Howard Seeman, author
oI Preventing Classroom
Discipline Problems: A
Classroom Management
Handbook, is a Iormer New York
City public school teacher and
proIessor oI education at Lehman
College, City University oI New
York. A national consultant on
classroom management, Seeman
has published more than two
dozen articles on education,
psychology, and philosophy, and
has been a keynote speaker at
many national education
conIerences. Seeman also teaches
an online course, Preventing
Classroom Discipline Problems.
You can learn more about that
course on his Web site,
classroommanagementonline.com.

Know When to Discipline
CHEATING: TIPS AND ADVICE FOR
PREVENTING AND HANDLING
%ip 1
When you give a test, arrange students' desks in neat
rows and sit in the back oI the room. When students
can't see you well, they are usually more nervous
about trying to cheat. Those who are tempted to cheat
usually will try to turn around to see where you are.
That makes it easy Ior you to spot potential cheaters.
%ip 2
Cheating is easier when you give a short answer test --
Ior example, tests with true/Ialse, Iill-in-the-blank, or
multiple-choice questions. Try instead to give tests that require short essay responses. Yes,
short essay tests might be more diIIicult to 7,/0 than the others, but it actually takes more
work to /083 valid and reliable questions that are not guessable.
II you still preIer short-answer tests, create two sets oI tests. On one set, type the questions
Irom 1 to 10; on the other set, arrange the questions in the opposite order. Copy one set oI
questions on white paper, and copy the other set on yellow paper. Pass out the two versions
oI the test to alternate rows oI students; students in the Iirst row get the white version,
students in the second row get the yellow test, and so on. Tell the students you have done this
so that iI they are tempted to cheat, they'll be copying the wrong answer. Another good thing
about setting up the test this way, is that you can use one answer key to grade both sets oI
papers.
%ip 3
Don't take away the paper oI a suspected cheater, or reprimand him or her in the middle oI
taking a test. Such an action will cause a disturbance during the test, and the disruption will
give other students an opportunity to cheat. Instead, inIorm students beIore the test that, "II I
suspect anyone is cheating, I wont say anything during the test II you get your paper back
with points oII, you'll know why." A statement such as that may oIten make potential
cheaters too nervous to cheat.
%ip 4
Tell students at the start oI the test, "During the test, cover up your answers. You might even
let students know that any student who helps another cheat also will Iace repercussions. By
encouraging students to cover up their own papers, you will probably be giving most students
permission to do what they really want to do. But now, since you directed the action, they'll
be able to do this without risking peer disapproval. Also, the students most likely to Iollow
your "cover up" instruction are usually the ones who studied Ior the test -- and the ones who
will have the most correct answers. Thus, you've cut oII Irom view the major sources oI
correct "cheatable" answers.
%ip 5
Don't wait Ior the day oI the test to tell students how you'll handle cheating. By then, it's too
late to motivate students to study, rather than to try to cheat. Instead, give warnings about
cheating a day or two beIore the test. By doing that, you might motivate a potential cheater to
study instead.
When is a discipline problem not
a discipline problem? Learn the
answer to that question and others
in Know When to Discipline!. In
that Education World e-interview,
Seeman explains why knowing
when to discipline can be more
important than knowing how.

Dont miss that article and others
in our Classroom Management
Center.

%ip 6
Return test papers at the end oI a class period -- not at the start oI a class period. Doing that is
helpIul in two ways:
O Students will be more likely to listen to a review oI the test answers -01470 they get
their papers back.
O II you return papers at the beginning oI class, cheaters who lost points or got zeroes
might vent their anger and disrupt your planned lesson. II they get back their papers at
the end oI the period, they can talk to you aIter class. Even better, they may go home
to vent, and cool oII by the time you s