April is the month of stress awareness, which is ironic because students have to take a stressful end-of-course test.
Standardized testing is nothing new and will most likely always be around, but when is it too much? As a junior in Tennessee, taking four tests consistently is tiring. Benchmarks, ACT’s, EOC’s and then Finals are draining especially when each test is so demanding and stressful on students. Test after test, pressure on top of pressure and stress building on top of stress can take a lot out of someone.
It makes you wonder if these older people in charge have ever had to sit in the same room for four plus hours and take timed tests, one right after the other, and then maybe a month later half to do it over again. Not to mention the expectation to maintain a social life, mental health and a balanced lifestyle.
The weeks following up to the testing also affect students. The mountains of studying and work given to prepare for these tests can tire a student out before the official test.
Victor Smith, 12, admits they were exhausted before they took the EOC in their junior year.
“I took throughout most of the week to gather myself to take the test and study and get a hold on the materials only to find out half of the materials I just studied and learned isn’t even gonna be on the test,” they said.
From the beginning of the test to the end, it is a stressful process. For example, Milo Arroyo,11, gets anxious before testing
“It feels like everything I know goes out of my head,” Arroyo said. “During the testing, I would like to say I started to recall information but not clearly. Afterward, I’m relieved it’s over and I just wish for the best.”
Also, the constant pressure of the importance and the weight it will have on grades stressed many students out.
“They hyped it up and lied to us and told us it was gonna count for so much of our grade and it really didn’t,” Smith said. “So this whole time we really are stressing because we’re trying to figure out when we’ll have time to do this and that and how we’re gonna cram stuff in while outside of school.”
Standardized testing can cause panic but through that stress, there is some relief and points of grounding that teachers may offer.
“Some teachers give the kids breathing tactics to help with anxiety or offer essential oils,” Arroyo said. “Those are probably my favorite teachers.” Even just teachers saying words of encouragement and showing pride and positivity can help distract students from the crushing pressure they are under.
Even after testing, some seniors still have a heavy weight on their shoulders.
“Even if it’s not the testing in general it’s still the amount of things you have to do inside of school,” Smith said “For our EOC coming up, even though we don’t take EOC as a senior, we still have to do majority packets and stuff to cover that time aka more class work than we would’ve got for that week’s worth just because we’re not taking the test. So it’s about the same equivalency.”
The question of whether we benefit from the testing is one that lingers in the air and different opinions are shot into the sky to grasp an answer.
One that sticks in people’s minds is, “will I use this in the future?” The chances are slim. You aren’t going to remember seven different classes and subjects, but you are going to remember the ones that benefit you and ones that you are truly interested in. You will hear teachers say that blank subject isn’t for them; henceforth, why they teach the subject they currently teach. Maybe it’s through passion or pure interest as to why they chose to teach what they did, but the other field of study won’t really make a big impact in their life.
So whether you test or not there will always be that sense of stress. It’s better if you pace yourself and collect yourself. And believing that things should be different is perfectly fine. Write to the district or even talk to your parents about it, getting others’ opinions and arranging a collective thought about something that you and others is important, whether you know it or not.
