By DREW HECHT
Standardized testing, which is one of the most stressful and important parts of a student’s high school career, has been no exception to the chaos caused by the pandemic.
Since March, when the tests first started to see cancellations, it has been a struggle for students to book a test date. Schools and other testing facilities fear possible outbreaks from students from multiple districts coming into their schools. As a result, students are left with fewer options as to where they can take the test.
Jericho High School Junior Daniel G. was supposed to take his SAT test at LIU when he was notified he had been cut from the roster. “It’s annoying that I can’t take my test but I will use the extra time to prepare and hopefully improve my score and skills,” he said.
Like most students, Daniel has been practicing for this test for months. However, he added an interesting element to his preparation: wearing a mask to simulate the exact conditions of the real test. “It is a different experience. I try to take my practice tests with a mask, and most of my preparation has been through zoom rather than meeting with a tutor in person,” he said.
LIU was not the only test center to cancel a test or cut students from the roster. Less than 24 hours prior to the test, Jericho High School assistant principal Dr. Behr notified students through an email that students had been cut from the roster. The email, which was sent out to all Jericho High School students and parents, stated that due to problems with the ACT system, some of the student’s had been cut from the test.
Dr Behr said, “As we were going into the week of the exam and starting to look at the roster, we happened to notice that kids were being moved on and off the roster without us having changed anything. We were going back and forth with ACT through emails all week and it seemed like we were able to work everything out and then the last day before the test, we found out someone thought they were registered and they weren’t.”
Although Jericho High School worked hard to try and fix these problems, students were still cut. One of these students, junior Sydney G., said, “It’s annoying to have these test dates pushed back or cancelled. I think it makes it harder for me to do as well as I can. I have started preparing less because I anticipated taking the test much earlier.”
To prepare for her test, Sydney takes practice tests frequently.
Another student who was struggling to find an available test center, senior Charlotte L. said, “I think Jericho did a fine job. The only difference between this test at Jericho and any other tests I took was that I had to wear a mask. I’ve gotten used to it by now so I don’t think that component affected me too much.”
Students continue to seek more opportunities to take these standardized tests, learning to manage with the unfortunate circumstances due to the COVID-19 pandemic.