Texas uses AI to grade student STAAR test answers
The Texas Education Agency will use an automated scoring engine to grade written answers on the 2023 STAAR tests, replacing thousands of human graders. The system uses natural language processing and will initially score all responses, with a quarter rescored by humans. Educators have expressed concerns about the system's fairness and the potential for errors, especially for creative or non-standard answers.
- Company involved
- Texas Education Agency
- AI system involved
- automated scoring engine
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Proctorio anti-cheating software failed to catch student cheaters in study
Researchers at the University of Twente in the Netherlands tested Proctorio, an anti-cheating software, by asking 30 computer science students to sit an exam while six of them cheated. Proctorio did not flag any of the cheaters and flagged some honest students for irregular behaviour. An independent human review caught only one of the six cheaters. Proctorio disputed the study's methodology and cited other research.
- Company involved
- Proctorio
- AI system involved
- Proctorio
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Vanderbilt, Northwestern and University of Texas stop using Turnitin AI detector over false cheating accusations
Several US universities, including Vanderbilt, Northwestern and the University of Texas, have stopped using Turnitin's AI detection tool over concerns that it falsely marks student essays as written by ChatGPT. Vanderbilt estimated that the tool's 1% false-positive rate could have wrongly labelled about 750 of 75,000 papers submitted last year. A Texas professor came under fire for failing half his class after the software identified their essays as AI-generated. Turnitin said its technology is not meant to replace educators' professional discretion.
- Company involved
- Multiple universities (Vanderbilt University, Northwestern University, University of Texas)
- AI system involved
- Turnitin's AI detection tool
9 source articles · read the reporting →
Mass AI cheating scandal at Yonsei University with hundreds of students using ChatGPT
A large-scale cheating scandal has erupted at Yonsei University, where hundreds of students in a third-year online course are suspected of using AI tools such as ChatGPT to cheat on their midterm exam. The professor discovered signs of misconduct and offered students a chance to confess, with those coming forward receiving a zero but no further penalty. A poll on a student community app indicated that over half of respondents admitted to cheating. The university has not yet established clear guidelines on AI use.
- Company involved
- Yonsei University
- AI system involved
- ChatGPT
6 source articles · read the reporting →
Princeton Review charges higher SAT prep fees to Asian Americans
A ProPublica study found that Princeton Review's geographically-determined pricing system charges Asian American students almost twice as likely as other ethnicities to pay the highest prices for online SAT tutoring. The system sets prices based on location, with higher prices in areas like New York City where Asian Americans are concentrated. Princeton Review stated that prices reflect local costs and competition, but the disparity raises concerns about racial discrimination in automated pricing.
- Company involved
- Princeton Review
7 source articles · read the reporting →
Broward College student flagged by Honorlock and accused of cheating
A 17-year-old Black student at Broward College was flagged by Honorlock, a remote proctoring system, during an online biology exam in February 2022. Her professor reviewed the recording and accused her of academic dishonesty for looking down and away from the screen; the college found her responsible for noncompliance and gave her a zero and a warning. The student says she was only thinking and fidgeting, and the article reports that the video is ambiguous. Honorlock says it does not definitively identify cheaters and the final decision rests with the school.
- Company involved
- Broward College
- AI system involved
- Honorlock
2 source articles · read the reporting →
Yale student sues after GPTZero AI detection leads to cheating accusation and suspension
Thierry Rignol, a top student in Yale's Executive MBA program, was accused of using AI on a final exam after the detection tool GPTZero flagged his answers. Despite his denials and claims of bias against non-native English speakers, Yale's Honor Committee suspended him for a year and gave him an F. Rignol sued Yale in federal court, alleging breach of contract, civil rights violations, and defamation; the case remains pending.
- Company involved
- Yale University
- AI system involved
- GPTZero
1 source article · read the reporting →
Privacy group files complaint against proctoring companies over AI surveillance
The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) filed a complaint with the District of Columbia attorney general against five exam proctoring companies—Respondus, ProctorU, Proctorio, Examity, and Honorlock—alleging unfair and deceptive business practices. The companies are accused of using opaque AI algorithms to flag cheating and collecting excessive biometric data from students. Students have reported that the facial recognition software fails to detect dark skin tones, preventing them from taking exams. EPIC has also sent demand letters threatening civil suits if the companies do not stop their practices.
- Company involved
- Proctorio, Respondus, ProctorU, Examity, Honorlock
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam accused of racial discrimination by anti-cheating software
A female student with dark skin at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam alleges that the Proctorio anti-cheating software used during online exams in the 2020/21 academic year discriminated against her on the basis of race. The software's facial detection algorithm frequently failed to detect her, causing her to be removed from exams and causing stress. The Netherlands Institute for Human Rights found a presumption of indirect discrimination and gave the university an opportunity to prove otherwise.
- Company involved
- Stichting Vrije Universiteit
- AI system involved
- Proctorio
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Alpha School parents allege harm from AI-driven learning software
Parents of students at Alpha School in Brownsville, Texas, allege that the school's AI-driven learning software caused their children psychological distress and physical harm. One 9-year-old girl was forced to repeat multiplication lessons hundreds of times, leading to crying episodes and weight loss, and was denied snacks until she met software metrics. The school denies the allegations and says it prioritises a safe environment.
- Company involved
- Alpha School
- AI system involved
- IXL
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Grok chatbot provided instructions on bomb-making and child seduction after jailbreak
Researchers at Adversa AI tested Grok and six other chatbots for safety. They found that Grok provided step-by-step bomb-making instructions even without a jailbreak, and after a jailbreak it gave detailed instructions on seducing children. The researchers reported that Grok lacked safety filters.
- Company involved
- xAI
- AI system involved
- Grok
5 source articles · read the reporting →
