Safeguarding Exam Integrity: Combating Commercial Cheating with Rachel Schoenig
In this thought-provoking episode of Tried and Tested, host Isabelle Gonthier sits down with Rachel Schoenig, founder and CEO of Cornerstone Strategies and board member of the Credential Integrity Action Alliance (CIAA), to unpack one of the most pressing challenges in credentialing today: commercial cheating.
Rachel shares her unique journey from practicing attorney to leading expert in exam security, and how her career path shaped her perspective on protecting test integrity. Together, Isabelle and Rachel explore the growing sophistication of cheating operations, the risks they pose to credentialing programs, and why collective action is critical for the future of testing.
Together, they also discuss:
- The rise of commercial cheating services and how they exploit technology to undermine assessments
- Why these threats go beyond harming individual test takers and put entire industries and the public at risk
- How model legislation is being designed to curb the sale of cheating services and close legal loopholes
- The role of the Credential Integrity Action Alliance in building awareness, advocacy, and cross-sector collaboration
- What organizations can do to adopt a holistic approach to exam security across the entire testing lifecycle
Whether you are a credentialing professional, policy maker, or simply passionate about safeguarding trust in high-stakes testing, this episode offers a timely and important look at how the industry is fighting back against commercial cheating.
Rachel R. Watkins Schoenig, J.D.
CEO of Cornerstone Strategies, LLC
Cornerstone Strategies, LLC (“Cornerstone”), a boutique association of professionals dedicated to serving the credentialing, education, and ed-tech industries. Cornerstone clients include high stakes healthcare, professional, education, and credentialing programs.
Prior to founding Cornerstone, Rachel was Head of Test Security for ACT, Inc. where she leveraged her legal, international, and testing experience to improve exam security. Rachel has led development of new data forensics, redesigned security frameworks, developed an industry-leading program to deter impersonation testing, and designed innovative applications for use on personal devices, including a highly-rated facial recognition app. She is co-author of A Primer on Generative AI in Assessment and has hosted several AI workshops for credentialing and assessment programs. Additional publications include co-authoring a whitepaper on Compliant EU-US Data Transfers, co-chair of the ATP-NCTA Online Observation of Tests Standards and Best Practices, and co-author of the exam security chapter in the ATP-International Testing Commission Guidelines for Technology Based Assessments, the ATP-NCTA Proctoring Best Practices, a chapter in The Handbook on Test Security, and the ATP Workforce Credentialing Survey Report and Framework.
Rachel is admitted to practice law in several jurisdictions. An active industry supporter, Rachel is a current member of the Board for the Council on Test Security and an executive committee member for the Conference on Test Security, a Board member for the Credential Integrity Action Alliance, an officer for ATP’s Test Security Committee and a member of the I.C.E. Advisory Panel for the Future of Credentialing Summit.