High school students take too many tests

John Churchill

Young Voices

I am writing you a letter addressing the issue of postponing the High School Qualifying Exam until 2006. I am going to let you know right away how I feel about the issue. It is definitely a good idea to postpone it and I think the reasons I have support this opinion well.

We all know that there are several tests that every student can take before finishing high school. These include the SAT and the ACT. Both of these tests are recognized nationwide and are required for college entrance.

Why do we need yet another test to take to pass high

school? Aren't the ones that we already have to have enough? The SAT and the ACT are national standardized tests that have proven themselves time and time again.

Colleges have accepted them as a tough test and you usually need to have taken the test to be able to enter college. If we're so worried about minimum qualifications to graduate, why not set a minimum score to graduate on one of the standardized test that are already in place?

The High School Qualifying Exam is not going to make recognition from the state of Alaska. As it is, high school kids have enough tests to take and with the three days it takes to complete the HSQE, we could be in the classroom learning new things and preparing for a more significant test.

The next issue is that the HSQE is a waste of time. The majority of the students who took the test last year remarked that the entire test was simple. As a sophomore this year, I am not even worried about taking the exam; I probably won't even study. My freshman year, we had to take practice tests for the HSQE and it was a complete waste of 30 minutes a day.

There are several mistakes on the test as well. Many of the students I talked to last year said that there were numerous mistakes on the test ranging from instruction problems to defects with the problem itself. Also, this test was implemented rather quickly and the first set of sophomores who took it last year did not have time to learn the required material if they needed to. There are also ethical problems as well that need to be addressed.

Just like the unemployment rate, there is always the small percentage of students that drop out of high school much like those who just won't work under any circumstances. That same percent, if we keep the HSQE implemented, will fail it again and again.

Then the consequence of that is that we will have 22-year-olds in high school! Is that what we want? Also, what is with the deal that you can take the exam three times to pass it? Isn't this test to test who graduates and who doesn't? Eventually, everyone will, after taking it three or four times.

We used to make fun of our grandparents and great-grandparents who only had to have an eighth-grade education, yet I find the comment from a teacher who said that with the HSQE you only need to pass eighth grade to have learned the material that is covered on the test. Funny, isn't it?

I urge the Legislature and the governor to postpone the High School Qualifying Exam until 2006. Hopefully, in this time period, the mistakes will be corrected, the material can surely be taught, the ethical problems taken care of and maybe they can even make the test a little more challenging so we don't just need an eighth-grade education to pass high school.

John Churchill is a 15-year-old Colony High School student.

Young Voices is a column dedicated to the youth of the Mat-Su Borough. The Frontiersman encourages the submission of columns and opinion pieces from our youth. Be sure to include name, age and phone number for verification.