It’s April of your junior year of high school and you’re getting antsy about summer. You have memorized all of your classes, you’re in a rhythm. All of your work is done on schedule and your grades are great, but there is one thing that can decide whether you graduate or not coming up. You’ve heard of these since your freshman year and you are dreading them. Yes, it’s the SATs! College bound or not, the SAT test is mandatory. 95% of Maine school’s junior class must show up and if they don’t, our school has a high chance of being rated as failing school. Why should you need to take the SAT testing if you won’t be using it or your college doesn’t require it? The best answer that I can give you is: The state tells you to. It’s a graduation requirement.
   Lake Region High School has, in desperation, offered many benefits to taking the SATs without an increase in participation. The buses shuttle students to school, We get a free breakfast, and free pencils. Well, the pencils aren’t a benefit, we lose them any way. It is apparent that transportation is not an issue for getting to testing, so what is? Interest. Interest is the most important area to look at when it comes to participation. You won’t get a florist to a car show if they don’t like cars. You won’t get a student not going to college into a college entrance exam.
   On Saturday, May 3, 2014, the SAT will be offered at LRHS for free, but you must purchase a box of pencils, for the two pencils you need, and a calculator. You must also bring your registration ticket and a valid picture I.D. It is suggested that you get a good night’s rest, eat a good breakfast, take your time on the test. You will need to convince your friends to show up as well because if they don’t, it only takes one person to make us a failing school. During the testing, there will be an urge to hurry to get it over with, but you will always have to wait until the time limit is reached. Take your time and give a certain amount of time for each question. If you have 40 minutes and 40 questions, give yourself 1 minute per question. If you do not understand the question, skip it and come back to it afterward. The SAT test is an accumulative test, so if you don’t answer a question, it doesn’t go against you. An unsure answer is worse, in this case, than a question left unanswered. Remember to focus and not to get frustrated during the test.
   Between testing times you will have a short break to stretch, get a drink, eat a snack, or use the restroom. During this break it is important to know that your test can be cancelled if you talk to your friends about it. While in the testing facility, that could be considered cheating and you will have to pay to retake the test. To retake the SAT test it could cost up to $51 (SAT® U.S. Services & Fees). If you are hungry between testing periods make sure that you eat a snack. You want to stay as focused on the test as possible, and not your hunger. The total testing time is 3 hours and 45 minutes (FAQs About the SAT).
   This seems like a pretty good deal for students going to college, right? College bound or not, the SAT test is made mandatory. At least 95% of the school’s junior class must show up and if they don’t, our school has a high chance of being rated a failing school. Why should you need to take the SAT testing if you won’t be using it or your school doesn’t require it? The best answer that I can give you is: The state tells you to. It’s a graduation requirement.
   In 2012, only 69.6% (U.S. College Entry Board) of graduates went to college, so why do 95% have to suffer through the Saturday of testing? There are other forms of testing to get into the colleges that you may apply to. In Maine, the Accuplacer test will give you scores for community colleges, but everyone still needed to take the SATs. More than 800 U.S. colleges don’t even take SAT scores anymore (Huffingtonpost.com “SAT, ACT No Longer Required For Admission To 800 U.S. Colleges And Universities”). They look more toward your grade point average and your grades in each class. Hence the need for your high school transcripts.
    As juniors, many of our students have jobs. Some students may even have a job freshman year! Why should they miss a day of work for a test that they don’t need to further their career choice? Many students at Lake Region High school are going into a technical school or community college after high school and have been tested during the school day with the Accuplacer test. These students are less inclined to come to school on a Saturday, skipping work, for a test irrelevant to them. How can we convince these students to come in to take the test? The simple answer is that we can’t. If a student doesn’t want to, or feel the need to, take a test, they simply won’t. They will attend their job to make sure that they get the extra 8 hours of of pay.
   Why won’t the state drop the percentage requirement so that we can compensate for students not attending a 4-year college? That’s a question I have been asked by several people throughout this report. No one that I have spoken to has been able to give me a sure answer. I believe that the government is afraid that it will encourage fewer people to come to the testing day and create a less educated generation. The truth is: If a student is going to a 4-year college, they will take the test. If not, they will not show up on a Saturday.
   I will leave you with this reiteration. Why should you, students, peers, have to take a test if it doesn’t pertain to you? Why should you skip work for a test that is a waste of your time? Why should one person decide whether Lake Region High School is a good school?
(This article does not reflect the views of everyone in the PR pathway.)
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