Three hours, in this education system, reflects your entire twelve years of education. A piece of paper, in this education system, determines your next course of life. The score of one through thirty-six, in this education system, results in your acceptance or rejection.
I’ve missed three days of school in high school purely to practice for my future. The ACT is the most stressful, brain-exhausting exam a student has to take in their life. With four major concepts, our schools stress to us the importance of this exam, as universities start to turn back to the test required for admissions. I believe that schools should stay test-optional, as the ACT doesn’t display one’s true potential, talents, and one’s true self.
My AP Language teacher would tell you I’m an outgoing person who cares about the work I produce. My Honors Advanced Algebra Two teacher would tell you I work hard for all I accomplish, and learn with a passion for what I do. Even my Physics teacher will tell you, I study hard to get the grades I deserve. I’ve always been a straight-A student. Studying long nights for good grades, taking advanced classes to push myself, all to try to get into a university that depends on a score. The ACT proves nothing, as one’s character, is much more beyond their pencil.
These kinds of standardized tests cause children to be so stressed out with themselves it starts to take a tool on them. As many admins say, “It’s just a test,” but our cortisol levels say otherwise. Cortisol is a hormone that induces stress on the brain, as in a Harvard Study, levels of cortisol would increase 15%, and when they would lessen over time, it would cause disengagement. As this may look like a small number, this was only ninety children. Imagine three grade levels, and a class of juniors awaiting their future.
Around 40% of children nationwide experience stress, lower self-esteem, and have physical symptoms from the pressure and difficulty of standardized exams. Every study is different, as some kids are naturally gifted at test-taking; however, there are factors that affect an environment way beyond a desk and other kids.
A student’s home life, peers, and mental well-being, are never taken into account when they submit their scores. The hard truth is there are a million other factors that go into each student’s performance that College Board never sees. As all they see is a number.
Since Covid-19, 80% of colleges have taken an optional test route due to the virus. Since then, a number of colleges have slowly started to make standardized testing required, as their reasoning is it’s the only real way to measure. Dartmouth directly entails in admissions that a student’s test scores directly tells a university the academic measure of a student, and how well they can succeed in their education.
While these are Ivy League schools, even then, the actual student is what the university receives. Students succeed in their education beyond the classroom, as many students create business, jobs, or even start to make America a better place. Testing is a way to see a student’s skills, but their passion for what they do is what makes a university successful.
As a junior who takes into account her future, I urge the idea of keeping every school test optional as these students are more than capable of what they score. By doing this, students can feel a sense of ease when trying to apply for college, as they will recognize their abilities for what makes them successful.I’m not asking for colleges to completely ignore standardized testing, I’m asking for them to see the factors that play into it. To take them, and completely realize that a good student excels at what they’re passionate about.
