Eighth graders at Springville Junior High just finished IOWA Testing.  Mrs. Monica Linton, a Springville Junior High counselor, said, “Testing is situated in third, fifth, and eighth grade so than students don’t have to test every year.”

The testing lasts for one week of the school year in eighth graders history class.  The test includes the following subjects: reading, language arts, math and science.  Each of these sections test the students’ knowledge in the individual subjects.

Mrs. Becky Murdock, a history teacher at SJHS, said, “Students may not think testing is all that important, but testing shows educators what students know and what they need a little help on.”  Christopher Taylor, an eighth grade student, said, “Yes, I think it’s important, but it shows the nation and the state how the kids are doing.”

Testing causes the school schedule to be thrown off course a little.  But eighth graders have finished testing and will now get back on track with their school work.

This year at Springville Junior High there is a new program where students use laptops in their classrooms in order to make testing easier. End of year testing started on Tuesday, April 21st and will end on the 13th of May. Make-up testing will start after the 13th.

Tests are taken in English, math, and science. The English testing lasts for four days, math testing lasts for two days, and science testing lasts three days.  Each individual section of the tests last about 25-30 minutes.

A counselor at the junior high, Mr. Shaun Blakey, said, “The advantage to the mobile lab is that students can test in the classroom they have been in all year.”

After a year of sweat, blood, and tears, this school year is beginning to wrap up. That means end of year testing. Most students groan at the thought of taking end of year testing. Autumn Hathaway, your average student at Springville Junior High, said, “I think that it’s boring, but it’s also necessary for us to do.”

Mrs. Marthea Jackson, a math teacher at Springville Junior High explained the way that the state has set up testing. “Each class has a State Core that the state has set up. It’s basically what each class has to know for end of year testing. The tests are written around the State Core.”

In preparation for testing, students are encouraged to get lots of sleep, have a healthy breakfast, not to stress, and most importantly, to take your time and not to rush. This isn’t a final grade. It’s an overview on how you have done this year.

Mrs. Jackson went on to explain that the State Testing isn’t meant to scare you, but to check up on yourself and as long as you have tried your best, you have succeeded.

This year we are starting a new system for testing. Mr. Shaun Blakey, the counselor in charge of end of year testing, explained, “This is now a computer-based test, so the first day or so will be more of a learning how to use the system, day.” As part of the new system, the results will also be faster. “We will hopefully be able to get our results a lot sooner than before,” Mrs. Jackson said hopefully.

Students, get prepared because the end of year level testing is coming up! The end of year tests are taken in math, language arts, and science. They are designed to measure students’ mastery of the state core curriculum. These tests will be taken on the computer. They are not timed, so students will be able to go at their own pace. It is necessary that all students take these tests.

According to Mr. Darrel Rolfe, Springville Junior High’s principal, schools give these test to measure students’ success in specific areas. Student scores not only tell the student how successful they were, but help teachers determine areas they need to emphasize as they teach. Basically these test measure student learning and provide a picture for the teacher of areas of concern as classes are taught each year. From year to year tests show teaching trends that may occur in their classroom.

The science test will be taken April 6th through May 15th. The Language Arts test and math test will be taken April 20th through May 22th.

All tests will be taken on the computer, so no pencil is necessary. They will also be graded by the computer. So students study and be prepared to take these tests.

Students will be tested during their U.S. History classes. The Counseling Office would appreciate it if parent could avoid scheduling appointments for their students which would take him/her out of school during these times. If for some reason students are unable to attend all days of the testing, make-up days will be held.

These tests will not determine a student’s class placement, nor can students pass or fail these tests. Test results yield information which enables comparison of individual students to that of other students nationwide. Such information can assist parents in planning to meet a student’s individual needs. We anticipate that the test results will be available in November, and a copy of 8th graders’ results will be sent home with the term 2 report card.

To have a great testing experience, students should:

• Get a normal amount of sleep before the test.
• Eat a good breakfast on the morning of the test.
• Listen carefully to the directions that are given for the test and follow them exactly. If the directions are not clear, ask the teacher to repeat them or to explain the directions again.
• Do your best. Even if some questions seem hard, carefully consider the possible answers and make your best choice.

Parents can assist their student by doing the following:

• Help your child understand that an achievement test provides an opportunity to show what a student knows about particular subject areas. The test results can help parents and students identify both academic strengths and weaknesses.
• Encourage your child to get a good night’s sleep, eat a healthy breakfast, and maintain a positive attitude.
• Reassure your child about the test-taking experience. Students who are calm and sure of themselves do better on tests.