What’s the point of having testing days if teachers aren’t willing to follow them?

This is a question many students have been asking. 

Having testing days provides a consistent schedule for teachers and students. The testing days for Social Studies, World Language, and Math are on A, C, and E days. English, Science, and Business tests on B, D, and F days.

Many students are getting an overwhelming amount of homework on top of tests and quizzes. If teachers were only able to give tests and quizzes on their allocated testing days it would help students prepare ahead of time, and help them manage their time better.

“Teachers should do a better job following the testing days…It is not respectful of my course and the goals I am trying to accomplish in my class if someone else tests on my testing days…For example my students in my AP class… if they already had four or five tests, the chances of performing well on my test are very low; they are burnt out or they studied for other classes first. Therefore, their performance in my class is lower,” World History teacher Mr. Brendon Mostert said.

Students should not have to give up a grade in one class to get a better grade in another because teachers do not adhere to testing days. Many teachers argue that students should study ahead of time, but it’s difficult to do so when each week is jam-packed with homework, tests, and quizzes.

“On average I get four to five hours of homework daily because of the note-taking for AP classes. Sometimes when I don’t get a concept I have to reteach it to myself. It makes it difficult to have a test the next day. I don’t have the time to study a week before because I always have a couple tests and quizzes each week,” junior Khushi Patel explained. 

However, it is not only students who are stressed; teachers are also under pressure to comply with the curriculum, which makes it difficult to always administer tests and quizzes on designated testing days.

“The vast majority of the time I give tests on my testing days but probably once a year I’ll give a test off my testing day because…I feel a certain pressure in my AP class to get the curriculum done and if there’s other factors like holidays coming up or the end of the marking period,” added Mostert.

If Mostert gives a test that isn’t on his testing days; he gives his students the option to take the test on a different day if they are overloaded. It is convenient for students to have the option of testing on another day. However, not all teachers are willing to provide students with a choice.

“If tests and quizzes were given on specific days I can plan ahead,” Patel added. 

Having allocated testing days that teachers are required to follow would benefit teachers and students more than having testing days that teachers don’t have to follow.

It is exhausting for students to have to take more than three tests a day, especially juniors who are trying to prepare for SATs or ACTs. Furthermore, students have to choose between which tests to study for when so many are given on a single day. 

“During September, I had 4 tests and 6 quizzes in one week…I did not have time to study for all of them. I decided to study for the tests and quizzes that offered the most points because it impacted my grade more…It was so difficult to study with the homework because it can be time-consuming. I felt exhausted that I did not feel like studying,” Khushi Patel said.

If teachers were only allowed to give tests and quizzes on their allocated testing days it would help students prepare ahead of time. They would know which days to expect a quiz or test especially in a large school like North Penn that offers a variety of courses. 

“In a large school like we have with so many teachers there’s less communication between teachers and less consistency, so the advantage of having testing days is that I don’t have to talk to every English teacher to figure out when they are doing their quizzing and testing,” Mostert explained. 

While this issue may not be new, it is certainly one that seems to resurface almost every year, and the reasoning behind having designated testing days is something that perhaps also needs to resurface as a reminder each year.