Twinkle, twinkle little STAR, how I wonder where you are?
Back in middle school, the Standardized Testing And Reporting (STAR) tests were more or less the reason we went to school. That star-crossed week would come, and most of us were dying from a month-long anticipation. We'd bite our nails, take the test, and as soon as it was break began sharing answers in direct violations of the rules. As a result, we'd either bite our nails some more or manage to be able to sleep half of the recommended number of hours that night. Then the next morning we'd repeat the process. When the whole ordeal was over, the whole ordeal would fade from our minds until the middle of summer. Just when we started if the scores would ever arrive, the colorful pieces of paper that decided whether or not you went to two after schools instead of one next year would mysteriously materialize in your mailbox.
Here in high school, the STAR testing week came upon us almost all of a sudden. We were just back from Spring Break, and when we find out, our jaws drop. What? Already? I personally was wondering where the STAR tests again, and was beginning to suspect that maybe, just maybe, we didn't have to take those smartness measuring things. Apparently, these once feared tests were eclipsed by the fate-determining might of the SAT's. It was only up until the few days before did teachers make any efforts to bulk us up and hope that they had done their jobs correctly.
If you know how to study, you'll be fine. The test covers way to much stuff for a mortal person to study for. You were supposed to memorize, not necessarily understand, everything your teacher has taught you over the past seven months. So go grab some shuteye and just hope to the Great Probability that you remembered everything. Studying just makes things worse.
But some people are stilled worried about it. My algebra teacher, for one, was extremely concerned for our scores. Of course, no one is truly that altruistic and he was only worried because if did poorly, it would reflect negatively on the city and thus lower his property values. Ironically, he'd rather slave on about trigonometry than take a day off to help us review.
As I sit here composing this post, a mere twenty minutes before I hurry off to take the first STAR test of the week, I wonder if it will be like any other before. Will it throw our schedules into total anarchy? Will it cause us to experience hair loss? There's only one way to find out. Wish me luck.
Until the STARS Fade pt.2
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