On Wednesday October 15th, the Freshman and Sophomore classes took the ACT Aspire test. This test consisted of an English, Math, Science, Reading, and Writing section that lasted approximately from 8am-1pm. It was a five hour long test that caused much grief for many students, including myself.

I think that La Salle should move towards a different test in the future, or split the test up over two days. This would provide students with more time to give their best answers and do their best work, thus providing more accurate scores and results to reflect the school in a more positive way. La Salle provides a good education to students, and now the next step is to provide a good test to show how much their students really know.

Back in grade school and middle school, many students would participate in standardized testing. This was similar to the format of the ACT Aspire test; however, testing would be stretched over multiple days – not one 5 hour period. Standardized testing is used to let teachers as well as the school know where their students are and how effective the teachers are. Standardized testing can be effective and a good tool for schools to see how their students are doing; however, this statement does not hold true when the test is too long, preventing students from doing their best work. This means that the results may not be very accurate.

To get better test scores and a better reflection of the students, there should have been more time given for everyone to complete the test. The test should be split up over a couple days; ideally, this would create less stress among the students.

The last section, and arguably the most stressful, was the Writing. The freshmen and sophomores were expected to write an essay in 30 minutes after already completing 4.5 hours of testing. This is just unnecessary and not fair to students. It is extremely challenging for anyone to write a well-written essay in 30 minutes, let alone after four other tests. This again points to students deserving more time or a shorter test.

I understand the benefits of taking the ACT Aspire test and standardized testing in general; however, I do not understand why the test is made unfair to students and denies us the chance to show our best work. If the test was given out over multiple days (such as block days), or if La Salle went with a shorter test, then there would be less stress for students. Also, more time for each test would potentially create better scores, more content students, and a more accurate way for the school to see how they are doing.

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