Merric Kerger
eSomethin Staff
In 1990, the founder of International Center for Academic Integrity (ICAI), Dr. Donald McCabe, began researching the percentage of students that freely admit cheating on tests. McCabe’s research continues to this day and the ICAI reports that 75% of high school students nationally have admitted to cheating on tests and exams.
Cheating is common and it may be due to the nature of high-stakes pressure – the need to get top grades and succeed. Other factors include normalization, the feeling that everyone does it; and opportunity, feeling the chance to cheat and get away with it. I can admit I’ve cheated on 100s of tests. My parents are very strict about how good my grades need to be to do things outside of school.
But when it comes to cheating on secure tests like exams, state tests, and SATs, cheating is very challenging. Students sometimes will go to extreme lengths to cheat on these.
One growing security risk to tests is Meta smart glasses. If you’re not aware of what these glasses are, they are basically the real life version of Tony Stark’s smart glasses. Meta’s smart glasses have built in cameras, microphones, and the ability to interact with meta’s AI interface. Basically, with the technology packed into the glasses, a student could wear one during a test and cheat away.
But the glasses aren’t cheap. They cost $299+ for the base model to $799+ for the models that provide the augmented reality interface with the built in AI.
These glasses look very very similar to regular glasses, making it difficult for proctors to catch would-be cheaters – the only noticeable difference being the small cameras located on the front of the glasses. Other than that one visual cue, the glasses’ capabilities are almost undetectable.
The College Board who produces the SAT has banned smart glasses and similar wearable technology to prevent cheating on major tests. The Philadelphia court system also announced a ban on smart glasses, including Meta AI, inside court buildings starting March 30, 2026.
Now, many teachers and parents are wondering why students are attempting to cheat. As a student, I would point at pressure. Parents push their kids to do really well on them and set high expectations resulting in students cheating to land that 100%. Besides, there are other factors that contribute to cheating like the normalization of it. Many peers may be open to cheating and this persuades others to do the same.
Gabe Folck, a junior, said, “If I do cheat it’s usually because of pressure because lowkey my parents are strict and I have no other options at times.” Folk said that he would consider using smart glasses in the future if given the chance.
“…At times, you have to like, if your behind on something and desperately need to turn it in, cheating might be your best bet,” Folk said.
Our own high school takes precautions for cheating as well by making students put all cell phones, headphones, and smart watches into their backpacks and putting them in the back of the classroom far away from students’ seats during secure tests. This seems pretty effective but what’s stopping students from keeping it in their pocket?
I think our school and others should enforce more secure ways of putting technology away and keeping it away to prevent cheating nationally. With this we may see lower numbers of kids cheating on tests statistically and pay more attention to learning then cheating.
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