<p>First of all, being valedictorian is just a title. When you look back on this 10 years from now, you will see how irrelevant it is. You’ve already been accepted to college and this will likely not matter. As long as you know that you should be valedictorian, I don’t see why you should concern yourself with the opinions of others. </p>
<p>Because those opinions are adversely affecting OP’s life. If she is alleged to have cheated and that goes on her permanent record, that is some serious harm that was done by this. Being valedictorian is a title. Cheater is a label that colleges won’t like at all.</p>
<p>OP, what a horrible way to finish senior year. Take consolation in the thought that this will pass, and soon. In a month it will all be behind you. </p>
<p>Take a breath and draft a letter to your principal, with cc’s to your teacher, the proctor, your guidance counselor and everyone else you think should receive it. Limit yourself to one page. Make as many drafts as it takes to cool down and speak your truth without being hostile. State your case in the most mature way you can. Stick to the facts and the unfairness you are fighting against. Above all ask an adult to read it before you actually send it. Keep a copy for yourself. You might even get it notarized. Demand that it be included in your file.</p>
<p>I am so sorry that a time which should be joyful, when you celebrate your accomplishments, has been soured. You still earned it, you just aren’t being acknowledged. Now surround yourself with people who love and support and believe in you…and shake the proverbial dust from your sandals. You will be moving on, and soon. Those people will have to live with themselves. Be strong and focus on the positive.</p>
<p>You need to contact college board and the media, as stated above. Your school violated test procedures and you should not be punished. I don’t know if you can get the title back, but you can at least clear your name and make the situation known so that it can be prevented in the future.</p>
<p>And the fact that you’d stand up for yourself and keep asserting would be a great quality that colleges should like, too.</p>
<p>You are getting some very good advice here. And a lot of the support you’re receiving here is because of the way you’ve presented yourself. Keep that up. Don’t let a false accusation change how you think about yourself. If you have nothing to be ashamed of, there is no reason to act shamed. </p>
<p>I’m not usually a Dr. Phil fan. But I this article on how to handle being falsely accused had a lot of things that I thought a person in your situation might find helpful. <a href=“http://www.drphil.com/articles/article/217”>http://www.drphil.com/articles/article/217</a></p>
<p>I especially liked this point: "Understand that people might come forward to admit they were wrong. And they might not. It is up to you to put this behind you. Give yourself what you wish you could receive from others. You need to say to yourself, “I know I didn’t do this. And I will give myself what I wish the community, the authorities, etc., would give me.”</p>
<p>Hold your head up, and be proud of who you are because you are the same person you’ve always been. </p>
<p>When things can’t or won’t be resolved at the school level, the next step for you would be to take the issue to the school board, and superintendent. Chances are you can find and contact them through your school district’s website.
If you were put in a position that made normal test activitiy (like working something out on paper, or turning your paper slightly) look like cheating, and the proctors were not following AP rules, I would strongly consider reporting that.<br>
Are you by any chance left handed? Just wondered if the proctor thought it odd that you turned your paper differently than most. </p>
<p>Your school is the one violating rules, it seems, not you.</p>
<p>I would email the College Board and tell them about the inadequate testing conditions that you experienced . If someone is 9-12 inches away from you it is almost impossible not to see someone else’s paper it is absurd that your school would accuse you of cheating . I understand that you put in all that hard-work to be valedictorian and I’m very sorry that it has been taken away from you . </p>
<p>I know a guy who got into Harvard despite being in pretty much the exact same mess. Just stay strong through this.</p>
<p>I just have to say that being falsely accused feels like one of the worst things that can happen to you. The worst. So, your emotions definitely are not overblown or wrong. However, never hurt yourself or someone else as a response. They’re not worth it. I am going to warn you that being a victim of false witness doesn’t really get better with time. It can eat away at you. If you have a religious tradition or other route to guide your understanding and journey through this, turn to it in an effort to heal — now or when you are ready. If you can blow off school without it hurting your grades, you just might want to do that for the remainder of the year. Or, you might find it better to return and feel the support from those who haven’t accused you and do believe you. Or, at least make your statement to your accusers. What might help is reporting any violations in the testing protocol to the CB, meeting with the BoE staffer or rep who might have authority or interest. Could you re-test? Also, now that you’re at this site, you might want to seek advice about how how students with your family income finance college and vet school. Maybe that info will help keep you focused on the future. Good luck, and peace. </p>
<p>Where the <em>beep</em> did the concept of guilty until proven innocent come from anyways?</p>
<p>“People talked, sang, laughed, threw paper balls, and didn’t get caught. Yet I was accused and not listened to”</p>
<p>Since when is this allowed during tests? I think this would have been reason to stop the entire thing. </p>
<p>This situation is confusing to me. If a student is cheating- then he/she is looking at someone else’s answers, so if the proctor is moving the OP’s answer sheet- then isn’t it because another student is looking at it- or trying to?</p>
<p>Are the tests arranged so that students have different versions of the test- same questions with the answers in different order- so that this can’t work if two adjacent students have different answer sheets?</p>
<p>As mrnephew said- where is the student guilty without evidence of proof, or at least some way to offer a defense? This is why I suggested getting an attorney involved. There is an uneven balance of power when school officials accuse a student. I understand the concern the OP has about facing a school board, but an attorney who is familiar with education law may have some insight into this situation. He/she could also pursue this with the testing company and might be able to get information from them.</p>
<p>The situation does sound messed up and that is why I am so upset over the matter. @Pennylane2011, That behavior is never allowed on a test. Especially an AP one, which was the test we were taking. Like I said, we all were placed to sit at tables where we could easily cheat off one another. There were no dividers whatsoever. The proctor who accused me, came to the table I sat at three (3) times to shift my answer sheet. I don’t know if he also assumed the boy who sat in front of me was cheating off of me but that is just my assumption 
.
I do however thank everyone for their advice, it means a lot but I’ll just simply have to face the music and deal with this position I am in. I really think it’s too late in the year to start any case. My school has done unfair things to other students before so I don’t think I’m any different. I just have to accept the fact I am not Valedictorian anymore and just not go to graduation. I would feel much better in myself if I didn’t have this bad habit of always wondering what other people think of me, Not what I think of myself. It’s been with me for years so I have really low self-esteem, confidence but I did take much pride in my position and work. It felt good.
I simply have to survive these last two weeks of classes, take my French Regents, collect my diploma whenever and just leave the school behind. I’m just really glad I made the decision to go away for college. It would be the perfect way for me to “start over” as I have failed here. And instead of doing work to impress others, I’ll just work hard enough to satisfy me.
So I thank all of you for your advice, concern and giving me steps to do, but causing such a scene isn’t my thing I’m also not 18 yet, meaning I would have to get Parent Consent to sue a school, I think. I’ll try my best to move on. Thank you. </p>
<p>First of all, I am so sorry that this happened to you. There are a lot of things I don’t understand though.</p>
<p>They must have told you very specifically how they felt you were cheating, and what the evidence was. Certainly your mother demanded to know? Also why does your mother not believe you? You say she is not speaking to you? If this happened to my child I would still be in that meeting demanding answers! Clearly she feels that they have some sort of undisputable evidence? It seems she would be knocking down doors to clear your name. I don’t get it. The whole story is off, but especially your mother’s reaction.</p>
<p>OP, it sounds like you are really bouncing back. Congrats on your resilience.</p>
<p>Just want to point out that it is not a “sue the school OR do nothing” scenario. Put something in writing (see my previous post) and send it to College Board and the principal, your Calc teacher and youself. Your school is failing to meet the standards required for AP testing. Re-reading your posts it sounds like the proctor thought that you were sharing answers with someone near to you. If you were not, then you are innocent, and you owe it to yourself to set the record straight. It is ocmpletely unacceptable to strip you of a title and to invalidate the test. You wouldn’t like to see that happen to your best friend (or even an enemy, I hope). I hear that you don’t want to make waves at your school. You have worked so hard to win the admiration of your peers and teachers. You feel betrayed by their lack of trust. However realize that this will happen again until soemone speaks up. </p>
<p>You can send the letter on the day of graudation. But you should do something, for yourself and for closure. You have come to some good realizations about starting over. However real closure comes with knowing that you stood up for yourself in a simple, dignified manner. </p>
<p>@planner03 My mother is a strange creature. At the meeting, the only “evidence” they showed us was some form filled out by the school and the CB confirming my AP Calculus AB test got invalidated. My mom did ask what was there/ what happened to get me convicted at the only thing the principal kept repeating was “there was visual evidence” brought up and discussed with by the administration staff. That’s the first thing that has pissed me off and is keeping me away from school. Why must the whole administration know? Especially my teacher? The principal had the nerve to tell me that my teacher said he was embarrassed. Embarrassed of what? The situation? Me? It’s like she was suddenly out to break me. My mom did ask a couple of times what this evidence was, but the conversation was always brought back to my wrong doing and failure and how I should learn from this mistake -.- Please tell me what mistake I made during a test where NO ONE was serious about. Every time our proctors switched because they had some class to teach, the new one was never paying proper attention. And the new ones never accused me of cheating. Just that one man. The first proctor who starts the test for us.
@momcinco, I did read your previous post and I may possibly consider that.I just really do feel betrayed that, I’ve been in this school for 4 years. I’ve had almost every teachers except the new ones. They all know, how I behave during tests, what I do during tests and what my work i put out on the test is. I am not perfect and I have been caught cheating in the past during elementary and middle school. The outcome of it was horrible and I actually developed a fear of doing things “out of the ordinary” such as cheating. I feel very miserable that this happened to me and how The principal, Vice principal, my teacher and whoever else learned this, doesn’t have the faith in me that I did nothing wrong. And that is what is keeping me from school. The accusation. My friend will now become the valedictorian. For a reason I am jealous of and I have felt anger grow in my against her, but I’m trying my best to not hold it against her. My mom has warned me in the past that people in this world are out to get you. No matter the setting you are in. I just never liked to believe her because she wasn’t born in the U.S. She doesn’t know how things run now. But that was a childish belief that I feel the effects of now. And I really wish I could just turn back the time and fix everything. I would feel happy that the year was finally coming to a close so soon.</p>
<p>OP- I think once you start college and get involved in classes, clubs, new friends, this experience will seem less significant to you. You have had a lot of successes and this one bad experience does not define you. </p>
<p>This episode will pass, but low self esteem and worrying about what others think is something you can work on. Rest assured that some of this is due to being young, and changes with maturity. The more you know who you are, the less what others think will bother you. Perfectionism is good to a point, but past that, it feeds low self esteem. Nobody is perfect. Also, people sometimes make themselves feel better by criticizing others and what they say has nothing to do with you. You are a smart and diligent student. Keep your eye on your goals, make friends who are supportive along the way, and stay true to yourself. School is your main goal, but get involved with other activities that feed your spirit- hobbies, clubs, exercise, spiritual- if that’s an interest. You can build your self esteem from the inside and this will grow with maturity. </p>
<p>Do not say you “failed” at high school. One thing going badly does not discount everything you have done. You had the guts to take calc even though you hadn’t taken pre-calc. You have attained top grades even if you are not valedictorian. You have been accepted to college. Seems to me you succeeded.</p>
<p>You are not a failure, not even close. You have the highest gpa, guess what? That makes you the valedictorian. With or without the school giving you the actual reward, you did that. You earned that! Hold your head high, you are not a cheater. I may suggest writing a letter to your mother. Put down everything you told us. Tell her you need her on your side, she is your mom. Perhaps a letter will help her see the situation from your side. Hey, it cant hurt. </p>
<p>You have received a lot of excellent advice from very wise people here. As Mr.Nephew said, this affects your permanent record. It also affects your status with College Board. I don’t think you can just dismiss it and think it will go away. The College Board records may possibly get sent to the college, but I don’t know.</p>
<p>You need to talk to your Mom (or write a letter as soonmtnest said above) and calmly explain your story and emphasize to her your innocence. If there is another person, a religious leader your family knows, a close relative, a coach, you need to talk to them, too, to see if they, your Mom and you, can come up with a plan to refute the accusations. </p>
<p>Every school should have a Guidance Counselor. Do you know your Guidance Counselor well who wrote your recommendation letter for college applications? They are responsible to listen to you privately, without the proctor and principal. One idea might be to schedule a meeting with the GC, and make sure you have your Mom and the other trusted adult in the meeting with you with the GC. Maybe your Mom can schedule it directly with the GC. Do this soon! Don’t wait. Waiting will make the principal and proctor feel like they were right,… like you don’t want to respond. Please also tell all of them, including your Mom and the GC, about the laughing, singing and throwing paper. Were the other proctors in the room when that was happening?</p>
<p>I agree with MomCinco, ShoBoeMom, Mr.Nephew, Pennylane and others who said you need to formally address this with the someone higher like the Superintendent, and with College Board. I think the Guidance Counselor may be a good starting point. </p>
<p>If the school wasn’t following the directions from College Board, then something is not correct. You should not have your future jeopardized because the school wasn’t following CB directions. Your Mom may need to contact College Board directly because the school may not want to say to CB they didn’t administer the test within guidelines.</p>