Not all but a year ago I took an ACT prep class on Wednesday nights, where they taught us how to look for tricks in the test, how to avoid doing actual work, sneaking, crafting the trade of shortcuts. I remember sitting there in the bright fluorescently lit, bleak whitewashed room that was 163, while the older woman preached how the ACT is all about knowing the little nuances of the ACT. At this point it is 8pm I have been awake for 14 hours, my head is tucked away in my arm, cocooning into my jacket, entangled in a web of dreams. However hearing this my ears perk up, like a dog barking at the mailman, I drag my head up, eyes adjusting to the light, brain rebooting, I raise my somewhat limp and half extended hand up. I asked so you mean to tell us that the ACT doesn’t even look for our academic ability? She proceeds with the deadly stare as is if this 60 year old woman was going to grab the yardstick nearby and break it over my head for asking such a dumb question. She clears her wrinkly dangling throat and proceeds with of “course it’s about academic ability, we are just trying to teach you how to look at the test”.
Standardized Tests were devised by experts convened by state education commissioners and governors to set uniform benchmarks for learning. They come labeled in different names from District Assessments, …show more content…
I had the vaguest of an idea to why I was taking this test, all my teacher would say is because I was required to take it. Well I did so poorly on the test, my teacher, principal, and social worker all sat down and asked why I was doing quote “such a poor job”. I had no idea what I did wrong back then, I thought I was stupid for not doing good, that because I wasn’t Proficient enough that I was a failure and let down my teacher. Fifth grade was never the same after that test, I was so depressed that I didn’t meet someone else's expectations that I just went through the motions of