All standardized testing should have been cancelled this year. 

Nothing about this year was “standard” and it is completely unfair to change everything about how we learn, but keep the level of difficulty/preparedness for standardized tests the same. This year has been difficult enough trying to look after both your mental and physical health, being apart from loved ones and being deprived of almost all things social that we previously took for granted. The pandemic has stolen so much from us and we have had no choice but to cope with it and try to power on. Standardized testing on its own has a multitude of problems but expecting children to take them and do well in the middle of a pandemic is ridiculous. 

As a virtual student, I can tell you that learning everything online is no easy feat. The experience of actually attending school and having that personal connection makes all the difference in the world. I often find that my teachers just assign videos to watch or to take notes on pre-recorded lectures and I honestly can’t blame them because it must be so difficult for them too; but as result of this I find that I have to teach myself many things. 

Trying to self motivate and get in the right mindset to complete work is exhausting. While learning from the comfort of my bed was nice for a few days, it got repetitive and draining very quickly. Prior to this year, I have found school relatively easy and have never had trouble submitting assignments on time or completing readings or taking notes but this year finishing even the simplest tasks feels like the most taxing thing in the world.

Keeping that in mind, how can we be expected to perform at the same level we would’ve if we had normal school? The weightage that these tests hold haven’t changed. It is as if the education board has just completely ignored the fact that we are in a very strange situation this year and don’t have the same resources and support students had in previous years.

Apart from online school being hard on its own, external factors have also been completely disregarded. Many people have lost loved ones to COVID-19, in a similar manner, some people may rely on school as a sanctuary from a disruptive home life or have had a hard time with their mental health. Studying for something like an AP test or multiple AP tests is a strenuous enough task but all of the added stress this year can be unbearable. For some and no teenager should feel that amount of pressure at such a young age. All of these factors plus many others should be accounted for but again it’s being ignored for some unexplainable reason.

We are all trying to be reasonable and cutting people some slack because it hasn’t been easy for anyone. Testing could have very well have been omitted this year because there is more than enough reason for it to be excused. I appreciate that some adults are trying to understand why this year has been so hard for students but as much as you can try, you’ll never fully understand unless you’ve experienced it.