The start of silent bell signals the beginning of standardized testing on campus. So far, the FSA Writes and the SAT have been administered. But the tests themselves represent only part of the increased stress students are feeling.

“Personally, it’s hard for me to be missing classes because I’m also missing crucial lectures which will make it easier to understand the material the next day,” sophomore Rosellen Rodriguez said. “Like in math, we always build on the previous day’s notes, and I have to make sure I get the notes and understand them. On top of that, I have other homework because I do have six other classes. It’s nothing I can’t recover from, but it’s the end of the grading period and I really need to make sure I don’t have any zeros for assignments. Basically, I blame the FSA for taking away time to learn and hopefully help my grade.”

Junior Cydney Asante said she also feels the weight of testing season.

“I took the SAT yesterday, and even though it felt good getting that out of the way, I really hate missing that much school,” she said. “I’m trying to be a proactive student this semester, but I really can’t when all the teachers don’t teach because no one’s even there for class. On top of this, some of my classes are full of seniors, and when they start skipping school, it is going to be even more unproductive.” 

By Lasya Damaraju