Shenzhen Zhong Xue…and their American university applications</p>
<p>“CLEARLY DISHONEST” is how (Ms.) Margit A. Dahl Yale’s Undergraduate Director of Admissions calls Shenzhen Middle School’s (SMS - Shenzhen, China) policy regarding their school transcripts - specifically the “transcript explanation form” that accompanies the school profile. SMS is also known locally as Shenzhen Zhong Xue.</p>
<p>The SMS students have had the option to take a comprehensive exam covering subjects from previous years. They then have the right to substitute the new higher score - on their official school transcripts - for the previous lower one. The effect of this is a greatly enhanced GPA. One of my former students said that he had taken 23 such exams and while I’m pretty sure that he is an outlier, the simple truth is that the SMS transcripts are now ‘worthless’ as transcripts.</p>
<p>Last year, the school included a somewhat hidden disclaimer on their SMS 2007 Transcript Explanation form (page 2 of 2) - it was buried at the end of a paragraph in the middle of the second page . (“In addition, we allow students to retake exams for past courses as a way of proving to themselves that they have mastered the content. This makes the transcript a document which can change periodically, no grade being set in stone.”) This type of information is obviously critical to the evaluation of transcripts and should have been up front and center. Still, last year they were within the ‘letter of the law’ in terms of declaring their actions. </p>
<p>This year, the American in charge both years - Donald J. Holder - sent out a redacted 2008 Shenzhong Transcript Explanation Form (page 1 of 1) form that included no such notification . Which means, the SMS transcripts are falsely portraying the students’ GPA’s as the grades that they earned during the appropriate school year. </p>
<p>When I pursued this issue with both Mr. Holder directly and with SMS, the replies were less than honorable. Please let me clarify that: they were less than what should be expected from Shenzhen’s premier high school. </p>
<p>Cheating is rampant in China. Mr. Donald J. Holder knows this better than most.</p>
<p>All of which brings this e-mail to you. I will not stand by and let a bad administrator or two tarnish the wonderful institution that is Shenzhen Zhong Xue (SMS). Nor will I stand by and let you - the American schools - be made fools of. </p>
<p>Most of the students from SMS are worthy of admission to your fine institution. You don’t have to trust me, you can simply check their outstanding TOEFL and SAT scores. </p>
<p>Yale’s Ms. Dahl explains: “If we were to learn that any school had engaged in any of these practices–and most importantly grade changes–that school would lose all credibility in our eyes. And that, ultimately, would hurt its students, even though it was the adults at the school who had promulgated the practice.”</p>
<p>I’m not beneath begging you to please NOT penalize the SMS students. Please don’t hold them responsible for the actions of adults who know better, but for whatever reason, failed the students. I can assure you that the students were merely trusting that what Mr. Donald J. Holder [NOTE: Mr. Holder currently works for a Hong Kong international school] was instructing them to do was ethical. </p>
<p>You can read all of my investigation here. This includes Yale’s opinion, Mr. Holder’s answers to my questions, etc… Complete Investigation Here</p>
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