by Aymon L., 7th Grade
Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Everyone knows it. Just about everyone dreads it. The MCAS began on March 18th 2014. To kick off the two weeks of pure torture, the DESE decided to jump right in with the long composition for the 7th grade. Students in Mr. Mac’s homeroom before the testing were reminding themselves of the “MCAS Slogan” which by their thinking is “Massachusetts Child Abuse System.”
While there are some kids who hate it there are also kids who think it is OK. When asked how he felt about the MCAS, Ryan Dieselman said “Um…good I guess.” He also said that he was “not that nervous” about the upcoming reading comprehension testing on March 21st 2014. Most students do not worry about it too much because although it reflects on student and school data, it doesn’t count for a grade. That’s a good thing.
The DESE, as they have shown, like things very straight and no questions asked. They have even developed a script which we all know all too well by now. A teacher can either introduce this in a way that makes the test stressful, or they can be more reassuring and calm. In my testing environment things were much more relaxed. This does not mean we got to talk or anything but no one was all that uptight about it.
I believe for students to do well there needs to be a little more flexibility. Without flexibility it truly does feel like a life and death situation.
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