Standardized Testing Stresses Students

Adam Syed, Staff Reporter

 Students all over the world are currently in school. One part of school that students have to take part in is testing. Testing creates stress for students. We should know how to deal with it.

    Christina Simpson, a student at Harvard university, states in her article, “Today’s students, the most tested generation in history.”

  With all this academic assessment going on, it sure is no joke. Students study for hours just to get that perfect ‘A’ grade. Simpson states,  “In grades 3 through 8, as compared with students in earlier and later grades, spend the most time on testing during the school year, averaging around 15 to 16 hours.”

 So shouldn’t all this pressure to pass

create stress for the student? It sure does, in Simpson’s article, it states, “eighty-three percent of teens surveyed cited school as a source of stress.”

 Even students in  GCHS stress out. Michael Keefe a student stated “Depending on how much time I study, I will feel either more stressed or less stressed.”

Being stressed affects the body and mind like a vulnerable immune system, fatigue, depression, and the list goes on. We should know how to handle ourselves when feeling stressed.

 One of the school’s counselors, Ms. Przanowski, has some great suggestions on how students can cope with stress. She states, “It’s very critical, the number one thing, is to get a good night’s sleep! Also eating a healthy breakfast is key, and before each section of the test, take a few deep, cleansing breaths. It relaxes your muscles and it increases oxygen which helps your brain do well.”

 Performing these tasks keep a healthy mind. Ms. Przanowski was asked what the benefits were to maintaining a healthy mind and she stated, “It overall impacts every aspect of a students success. A healthy mind and a healthy body, goes hand in hand, having a positive attitude, will all lead to greater success in all areas.”

  Testing is a part of all of our lives, and it helps us to assess our academic abilities; however, students shouldn’t let the test control them, but have control over themselves and knowing how they can cope with stress.