Just over a month into school, students are already counting down the days to winter vacation. Every rain day, holiday or half day in between has us thanking God for inclement weather, the pilgrims and Christopher Columbus for getting us the day off. On Oct. 12 we were given one more of those exalted half days. Maybe as a bribe, maybe as a reward, but whatever the reason, it was pointless.
Freshmen took the ACT Explore, a supposed taste of the test that they take in three years. With more questions in the survey than the test itself, the Explore was more of a self-assessment than a real test of knowledge. With 20 minutes of class and two hours of testing, freshmen might as well have not come. If they really wanted to experience the ACT, there are many opportunities to take the actual exam outside of school.
Sophomores took the PSAT, a preliminary look at the college assessment. The PSAT is primarily a search for the National Merit Scholar Program. However, to qualify to be a National Merit Scholar, you must be a junior. Consequently, there was no point in sophomores taking the exam. If they wanted to practice taking standardized tests there are many practice exams available online and even given in the information booklet distributed by Oakton. The majority of sophomores spent the three hours apathetically bubbling in random answers anyway.
Juniors also took the PSAT and are possibly the only ones that actually benefited from the day. Over 600 juniors had to sit for the exam, many of whom will never even have their test scored. Oakton charged a $17 fee to have the test sent off. Those who didn’t pay had no reason to be at school. Furthermore, only three percent of juniors nationwide that take the PSAT qualify for National Merit recognition, and less than one percent of students qualify to become National Merit finalists. Many juniors just wasted their day taking yet another test.
Seniors participated in Candidates Day, where State Senator Chap Petersen and Virginia Delegates Mark Keam and Jim LeMunyon spoke and had the seniors ask questions. While this was a great opportunity to get involved in politics, the majority of our seniors can’t even vote. The information given could have been found on the internet in the homes of interested students. Being at school was not necessary for them, either.
The half day wasn’t bad; I was more than grateful to have a free afternoon. But if I have to wake up before the sun, I’d rather it be for something worthwhile. All these opportunities given by the school could also be taken advantage of at home on almost any Saturday afternoon, not at 7:20 a.m. on a rainy Wednesday morning.
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