As the school year progresses, students across New Tech are preparing for one of the most important periods of their year: standardized testing. With the SAT, Advanced Placement (AP), and State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) exams coming up, both facilitators and students alike are preparing for the challenges ahead.
SAT: A Gateway into College Admissions
The SAT is a standardized test that is used for college admissions in the United States, and it was administered at New Tech on Wednesday, March 5th. I asked Samyam (a junior) how he prepared and if he were nervous. He said “Heck no, I was not nervous at all. It’s a standardized test after all, and if you just practice, you’ll be fine. To study, I crammed the night before, but I wouldn’t recommend that for everyone.”
The SAT assesses students’ skills in reading and mathematics, and is a crucial part of college applications. A good SAT score can help boost an application, while a bad score can harm it. Thus, there is an immense amount of pressure on those that are taking it. Many students are using resources such as test prep classes, online practice tests, and study groups to enhance and boost their performance.
AP Exams: Earning College Credit
Additionally, students that are taking AP courses and that have registered for the exams will be taking them in the month of May. The AP program allows students to take college-level courses and earn college credit based on their exam score. With a wide variety of subjects ranging from AP Calculus to AP U.S. History, students are encouraged and taught to review their course materials and take advantage of review activities and sessions offered by teachers.
The AP exams are well known for their rigor and difficulty, and if you won’t study, it will eat you alive. Many students feel the pressure to perform well, as they have been learning the content all year. Teachers also help students review the content, and Mr. Arellano “implements activities such as the reading guides to accompany the projects. Based on this, I can assure that the content is fully taught for students to excel. This gives me the ability to break the AP exam content into portions through the school year, making it easier to implement as a whole by the time we get to April.”
STAAR: Testing Academic Readiness in Texas
In Texas, the STAAR exams are an important part of the states educational assessment system. The exams take place in April and they check students’ knowledge in subjects like math, science, reading, and social studies.
Teachers are emphasizing the importance of these exams, as they check student progress in learning and make sure that they are on track for academic success.
Conclusion
As the AP, SAT, and STAAR exams take place, it is important to remember that preparation is important. Without preparing, it is extremely tough to achieve top scores. With the right resources, preparation and support, students can approach these tests with confidence and understanding, excelling in them and proving they have the tools needed to succeed.
For more information on the specifics of these tests, please visit their websites.
