The PARCC English Test: A Reflective Essay On State Tests

Up until this point, my challenges were fatiguing, however, the day of the test was the worst part of my quest. The stress that I felt while taking that test was unreal. Each question my brain seemed to convince me that I didn’t know what the answer was. As the test went on, I felt worse and worse. I thought I was in a nightmare. On the other hand, when I finished and walked outside of the building I felt fatigued, yet I had done it. I was finished with this delightful burden. All the troubles were through. The stress I felt that day was later counteracted with a realization about my

This year has been very big for me not only as a student, but as a person, citizen, and teenager. Many things have happened to me that have made me rethink my choices and aspirations. One of the most important things that happened to me this year was that I took two AP’s: AP World History and AP Computer Science. These classes challenged me and I got my first B for the quarter in World History. On the day of the AP Computer Science exam I knew that I hadn’t prepared enough, even though I wasn’t prepared for the Computer Science exam it did help me to gauge how the test would be formatted for World History and what to expect time-wise—which seems to be my worst ability during testing season. Those two classes also helped prepare me

Today I picked up my Redwood Mock SAT results from San Rafael. Sitting there in the tiny yellow dingy office, I waited patiently in nervous anticipation. The lady there handed me a stack of papers with a breakdown of my SAT score...1390. 730 in English and 660 in Math. I couldn't stop thinking about that number. Logically I know a number doesn't define me. It is after all just one test. But even so, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed. As my parents reminded me, I needed at least a 750 in both sections to have a good chance at getting into a really good school. Funny how a 4 digit number has the power to make one feel so terrible or so accomplished.

I would not let my dream be snatched away from me so easily. Balancing work, academics, and extracurricular activities, I had little time for actual AP and SAT preparation. I often sacrificed sleep just to get a few extra hours of studying in. Two weeks before the SAT, I dedicated hours to practicing, and I read more in order to build my vocabulary. The result was a massive increase in my overall score. It was a bittersweet moment; as I rejoiced in my improvement, I acknowledged the fact that I was still below my target score. In silent determination, I registered for the next available test. As AP exams approached, my free time diminished, and I reluctantly admitted to myself I would not be able to prepare for the coming SAT test if I wanted to focus on improving my AP scores. I put all of my time into AP review; when I wasn't working, I was studying. Not long after completing my AP tests, my SAT test came around the

I walked into my class and sat down. Mr. Baroody announced that we were going to get our tests back, but I wasn’t worried. I knew that I did not get a 100% on the quiz, but nothing could prepare me for what was to come.

It is a warm fall day and I’m getting ready to take the ACT’s. The time is six forty-five am and I am just waking up to get ready for the test. The very first thing I do to get ready is shower, and once I’m done I put on sweatpants and a t-shirts so that way I’m relaxed. I eat a big breakfast so that way I don’t get as hungry throughout the day. I then continue by getting in my car and drive to the school to take the test. I then proceed to check in, and they check me in a then direct me to the classroom in which I will be taking my test. I’m now in my seat waiting to be given the test and I know that I am ready for the test because I have prepared. There are many steps a person can take to successfully prepare him or herself for standardized

Thesis Statement: Because of the high-stakes outcomes connected to standardized testing with consistently lower test scores among English language learners (ELLs), the extended use of standardized tests to make high-stakes decisions about student placement, promotion, and graduation raises fundamental issues concerning ELLs students culturally, linguistically, and academically.

I’m Kasayah Alexis, and I’m currently a junior-senior in highschool under the Parallel Enrollment program. I say junior-senior because I wish to graduate a year before my designated class. This means I plan graduate as class of 2018 instead of 2019. I learned a lot in the process of trying to graduate a year early. The most valuable thing I learned was that success does not come easy. There were various hiccups throughout my journey to get here, and I remember that feeling of doubt. I recall questioning if I should even proceed with this process because of the hiccups. This feeling came when I first took my placement test. I was so confident. I’m thinking to myself “Ok Kasayah you got this! You did the packet, and you did the online

My palms are sweating, my mind is racing and my heart is skipping beats. Today is the big day! My whole life has been centered on this, it's do or die. As I stare at the clock, eight is approaching terribly slow. I hear each tick that sounds after a minute has passed. “Okay students, clear your desks and from this point on, no talking.” The instructor then hands out SAT direction packets and slowly reads them, dragging out each syllable. I zone out and begin to think to myself “what is my life going to be like after this test?” For this reason, I asked my counselor how to deal with test anxiety. Her advice was to write all of my fears on a piece of paper right before the test is administered then scribble it out. She also said to buy a bottle

I really had no prior experience for what to expect, but my sister would make sure to fill me in with all the details she could about hers. Aside from what my sister told me and what my teacher would constantly strain of its importance, I only knew that the one test I was taking held the key to determining if I would be able to call myself a fourth grader next year. The pressure of having to pass the test took a toll on me every following school year. I ended up developing the mentality that I was not able to enjoy school or derail off my education for a single moment, until the TAKS tests were over with. Once testing season was done, the feeling of suffocation would dissipate from my system. The severity of the matter was most evident when I entered my junior year of high school. Since sixth grade, I had been taking advance courses and was doing exceptionally well. But for my junior year, when the TAKS test determined if I would graduate from high school, I took a major step back and enrolled in courses below my level. I felt it was the adequate thing to do since those classes would cover what was on the test. I believed I was not capable of succeeding without that rote memorization practice every day. I cheated myself from enlightening my evolving knowledge. Honestly looking back, it is calamitous that I doubted my abilities for so long due to a mandated test with no merit to my authentic academic

I had enough confidence on my ability and knowledge that would help me do great on the midterm. I predicted an A on the exam based on the instructions I had followed for taking the test. On the exam day, I logged into the CANVAS where the midterm was located and after signing in to the midterm exam, it looked so simple. First part of the test was vocabulary which didn’t take me more than 5 minutes to get over it. The second part of the exam was the reading part. We would read a passage and then answered to the four option questions. Everything seemed as expected. During the exam, I felt confident that I would score A as it seemed as I got them all. I got as excited as I was progressing through my

I work constantly trying to make my essay for history as perfect as it could get. I guess the 12 hours invested into paid off since I aced it. Now all I had to do was stay awake and study for hours for the next three exams. During the next two days I was running on fumes with whooping total of 5 hours of sleep. I went through as many energy drinks as books that were piled high on my desk. When I got my physics test to take I complete forgot everything that I have crammed into my brain. I was beyond worry I was doomed. I didn’t care to look up my grade I was just ready to get the other exams over with. The calculus was the only one that I kinda knew what I was doing. After struggling my way through it I rush my way to the opposite side of campus so I could take my exams with one of the most dread teacher on campus Professor Ron Wooderson. His enjoyment in teaching was watching people struggle so he would always make his test super hard. After I finish my last exam I check all of my grades. I was in constant shock I have only passed three out of five of

My history grade was a solid A, my math grade on the other hand was a C-. It wasn’t till the end of the second week that I had realized that there was a possibility I would not pass or make it on the final trip. I started having some very awful stress attacks, I would hyperventilate and could not focus on anything. Luckily for me I had some amazing people in my life at that moment. All the Upward Bound staff, my friends, and teachers were helping me out as much as they could. Every time I would want to give up they wouldn’t let me. They believed in me more than I believed in myself.

Every day that I stepped foot onto campus, it felt unreal; I was still in my high school state of mind and couldn't seem to wrap my head around the idea that I was no longer in high school. It wasn't until I took my first midterm exam, that reality had hit me really hard. My first midterm was in my Biosciences I class and the naive student that I was thought that I didn't need to study that extensively on material that I had previously learned in high school, but boy was I wrong. When I looked at the first question, I was dumbfounded, some of

That hour drive felt like an eternity. I was anxiously and impatiently squirming around in my seat waiting for my dad to arrive at the lot to take my road test; I couldn 't wait. Thankfully, the skies were clear and the roads were dry; I couldn 't have asked for a better day to take my test, but still, I couldn 't even feel my body. I felt like every minute that passed by was a whole hour within itself; I just wanted to be there already. My dad was trying to give me motivational pep talks to help me feel more confident, but they weren 't really helping. I knew I was ready; however, I felt like I would crack under all the pressure. I just wanted the test to be over with already and it hasn 't even started.