Bloomington High School South, The Gothic, 2005, Page 42

Description:	Testing■■■■■■■■iStory by Haddie KatzFor once, upper and underclassmen were no different. They all had to getthrough that horrible week of the ISTEP tests.Its an automatic downer, Mr. Frey said, a math teacher who hadadministered the tests in previous years. ISTEP is a form of standardized testingdesigned to assess student comprehension of subjects and reasoning skills.Students must take the tests their sophomore year; and, if they do not pass, theyhave the option to take them again before their senior year of high school.ISTEP required class time for three days in a row during the first six weeksof the school year. At a time when teachers and students are just settling intotheir schedules and routines, the tests proved to be disruptive. How are wesupposed to get the students to work after being trapped in a test the last threedays? Mrs. Jennings said from the photography department.While students who were testing may not have enjoyed the tediousbubbles, and teachers were concerned about precious class time, other studentsfound the three days to be a period of relaxation. As a senior, I enjoy ISTEPbecause it lengthens my SRT class, senior Harrison Hilliker said. While the teststook place, classes were shortened or put onto the SRT schedule, and homeworkwas often replaced by in-class movies.Other students felt that the tests were unfair forms of assessment. Youcant base a persons learning ability that way, said sophomore Delgar Battulga,and it took away my math and English classes. I like English. Debatable as theymay be, students must pass the ISTEP tests in order to graduate. Althoughmundane and time consuming, once students pass the tests, they wont have totake them again. It feels good to be done, Delgar said. After the tests, studentshad the satisfaction and sense of relief in knowing they had completed the tests,and would never have to make their mark heavy and dark again.(Above) Sophomore Lindsey Porterstudies for the SAT test. Eventhough she had a year to go, shewanted to get a head start onpreparing for the exam. (Left)Sophomore Andrew Watkins enjoysthe extra time he has to sleep whilehis freshman classmates take acomputerized test that he hadcompleted the previous year.42 AcaderdC5
Source:	http://cdm17129.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/hs-bloomsouth/id/7317
Collection:	Bloomington High School South

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