Students encounter standardized testing numerous times, not only throughout the school year, but also through their academic careers. The majority of them don’t even understand the tests’ purpose, often resulting in them giving poor attempts, if any attempt at all.

Some students, like senior Kevin Pham, think that we take some of these tests, such as the Plan and the PSAT, simply because, “the district makes us.” While others are more optimistic, like junior Kapri Carter, and think, “[the tests are] so we can pick what career path we go down and so we can enhance that path.”

“[These tests] divide us up from who’s dumb, and who’s not,” continued Carter. “They put us on a scale of who’s going to college, and who’s not.”

In regards to the tests such as the Plan, the PSAT, and the ASVAB, sophomore Anthony Lynn believes that they do in fact have a purpose, specifically involving the student individually.

“It was good for SAGE students to get practice on the PSAT because next year it’ll actually count for something,” said Lynn. “I know the juniors have to take it, and their scores can determine scholarships and stuff,” says Lynn. “I think it’s good that we know the actual set up [of the tests] and how it’s done.”

Senior Johanna Smith, has studied standardized testing for her Research Methods class, and is now able to have further understanding of these so vaguely explained, yet “so important” tests.

“There’s two types of testing, aptitude and achievement. Aptitude is the ACT/SAT scores, a guess of how students will do in college, while the achievement tests are the ones that the teachers and the schools are judged for,” Smith explained.

The “judgment” of a school is determined from the scores of the achievement tests taken by its students. This judgment is otherwise known as school accreditation, which has three rankings; accredited, provisionally accredited, and unaccredited. However, schools aren’t singled out individually, accreditation wavers by district.

Even a close school district, such as the Kansas City School District, as a whole, has lost its state accreditation twice. To lose accreditation, a school must fall short of meeting state requirements, measured through the state standardized “achievement” tests.

Another key component of the state standardized testing is the No Child Left Behind Act, signed by George W. Bush. in January of 2002. Through the constant monitoring of students’ academic performance, the regulations of this act are more easily followed.

The achievement tests have a lot of implications, which is why Smith believes that they come with a high price; “[They] are hard on the teachers because there is so much that they have to teach. Have you ever had something on those tests that you haven’t gotten to in class yet?”

These tests that are categorized as achievement tests, such as the benchmark, post tests, and the End of Course exam [EOC], require a certain curriculum to be taught in the classroom due to their specified content. This curriculum is the high price of those achievement tests, often posing problems such as not being able to complete the required content before the test itself must be taken.

Although they have many purposes, students are typically not aware of them, nor are they informed. As a result, compassion for their meaning is absent, and students begin to resent the multiple “must-take” tests. Students like Lynn and Pham, who both express their similar views:

“I hate testing, I have to take it, but I still hate it,” said Pham, where Lynn comments on one test in particular, stating, “Benchmarks are stupid, I don’t even understand what they are for.”

This lack of understanding could be the prime cause for no motivation towards the tests, but that leads to an even greater issue; low test scores. The purpose behind the tests themselves is to show improvement of students’ academic performance, yet, their lack of understanding possibly leading to their disinterest and motivation, may be detrimental to them and their student body. Their scores reflect the school, and if students do not dedicate themselves, the school will suffer.

Low test scores are not always the result of no motivation or compassion. Some people even believe that the tests are not fair, and that one’s knowledge cannot be measured through taking and recording the scores of their test.

“There could be several factors as to why we do not do well on tests. Some people are just terrible test takers,” Smith argues.

She also added that, “these tests fall in two ways; [one] they overestimate how well some students can do, and [two] they underestimate how well other students can do.”

Even Lynn says, “I also don’t think that the [test] scores should [reflect the knowledge of a student]. What if you are nervous under that time frame? Like with me, it changes the way I think.”

Regardless of student opinion, test taking environments should be calm and peaceful. The test scores seem so important, yet the preparation for the test, and the execution itself, does not. On Super Test Day, many complications were going on throughout the school. Lynn had missed his opportunity to take the PSAT because his teacher had been misinformed, and was instructed to take the Plan test.

“When I was taking the Plan, there were multiple people who didn’t have their tests because they didn’t have their bubble sheet, and so we had to wait,” explains Lynn.

The tests truly do have value to them, and important ones at that. Dr. Lynnette Calder, one of Northtown’s student counselors, explains this importance;

“EOCs [End of Course exams] and Benchmarks are important for different reasons. When students take Benckmark tests, students and teachers are able to find out their strengths and weaknesses in a given content area,” Calder continues, “This helps prepare a student for their EOC. EOCs, on the other hand, provide students and teachers with the final breakdown as to how well a student learned the content in a class.”