High school students are spiraling downwards in their performance on academic tests. There is no easy answer for whom to blame when it comes to poor test grades. It can be the lack of teaching by the teachers or the unwillingness to learn on the part of the students. Whatever it may be, the bottom line is that test grades are low, but still gradually increasing. The students attending high schools in Yuba County did not increase their scores, but either stayed the same or went down three to six percent for the SAT-9 tests.
When I was attending Marysville High School the staff at the school would always try to prepare the students for testing, whether it be the SAT-9 testing or any other exam. Teachers would always show examples of questions that may be on the tests. During the time I was at the school, our test grades improved every year.
With the improvement of the student grades, the teachers would get a bonus. The, students, on the other hand, received nothing. Some teachers never warn the students of how important the testing can be for the student’s future. At times, colleges may look into the scores that students received on the tests.
This may play a factor in some students not being willing to do their best on the tests. What rewards do the students receive? They see no sense in wasting their times on these tests if only the teachers receive the rewards, but these are the students that do not care of taking the tests because it does not affect their academic career. Some schools may throw a pizza party for the students for doing so well, but others do not.
Other reasons students fail to achieve the schools’ goals for them on the tests is the lack of preparation.
At Yuba City High School testing is a big concern because of the little amount of preparation that goes into it. With the school already over populated, some students get little attention. Teachers do not have enough time to go over the material that may be covered in the testing.
My friend who attended Yuba City High School said that some teachers briefly mentioned the tests that are supposed to show the overall knowledge of students in a variety of subjects. Little or no preparation went on before the tests were given out, putting the students at a disadvantage. The teachers at a high school would always have a week where they would review material that may be on the test.
The recent trends that have test scores going downwards could be blamed on anyone. The blame can be given to the teachers for not giving enough background information on the testing to the students. Along with the teachers come the students who are at fault as well. The “I don’t care” attitude that some students have towards these tests is something that needs to be amended. Students must realize that any test that grades on the overall knowledge is and will be helpful to them throughout their life.
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