EDITOR’S NOTE: Due to the disciplinary consequences students may face for disclosing the information presented in this article, all quotes are anonymous.

Cheating. The very word makes students uncomfortable, teachers wary and parents anxious. We all like to believe it doesn’t exist. Teachers don’t want to admit that their students would resort to dishonest methods to "beat the system." Parents insist that their child could never do something so dishonest. And students – well, if a student ever admits to cheating, the consequences may jeopardize their entire future.

Amid the constant pressure to earn high grades, how often do students decide to game the system? Are the rewards for good grades – or the consequences of bad grades – worth the risk for them?

Nashua’s high school students think it is a common practice.

"No one thinks of it as immoral," said an anonymous senior at Nashua High School South. "They worry about the consequences, not the morality. AP students do it a heck of a lot more than Extensions students."

"If you offer an AP student the chance to preview tomorrow’s exam beforehand, and the risk of getting caught is low, 99 percent of the time, they’ll say yes, regardless of how strong their moral compass is," another senior said. "By senior year, (AP students) are all seasoned veterans at this GPA race. It’s extremely competitive, and you have to do what you can to get ahead."

A junior at South, taking his first AP class, had a similar perspective.

"I’d say AP kids do more of that kind of cheating – I guess because those kinds of classes are harder, so there’s more pressure. I’ve known a few kids who have done that."

More than one student had an immediate, emotional reaction when the topic of cheating was mentioned.

One senior at South spoke unsolicited and asked to be quoted, saying, "I hate cheating in school. I think it’s dishonest, and you’re cheating yourself out of the education that you receive."

Ultimately, colleges are judging students on the grades they received, not the amount they learned.

"In my class, anybody I can prove has cheated will receive consequences," said AP Language and Literature teacher Kimberly Montine.

However, the stakes for cheating aren’t that high. According to psychology teacher Kim Carrozza, "colleges don’t find out if students cheated on an assignment." There’s no blemish on the student’s disciplinary history, no harsh punishment besides a zero on the assignment and losing membership in an honor society.

Students have realized learning and grades do not go hand-in-hand anymore, and many would rather take the easy road to a high GPA.

Shani Zhang and Jacob Olson are seniors at Nashua High School South.

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