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Crown Point High School @InklingsCPHS Feb. 27 2015 Vol. 79 Issue 6
Top Model Senior Jillian Steiger wins Seniors Ignite contest for a chance to model in California
S Read about her road to the runway on page 16
THE BREAKING POINT Changes in education standards result in testing increase 110 MINUTES the amount of time one standard ECA exam takes
220 MINUTES
the amount of time this year’s English ECA will take
130 MINUTES
the amount of time an average PSAT exam takes
225 MINUTES
the amount of time an average SAT exam takes
BY ALAA ABDELDAIEM
editor-in-chief
I
t’s been two hours. The room is just as silent as it was when the exam first started, but the temperature suddenly feels ten degrees warmer. Slowly, patience starts to dwindle, and the sound of chairs squeaking fills the room. A teacher finally announces that time is up, but this isn’t the end of the exam. It’s only the beginning. Two more days of testing will soon follow. Students across Indiana have experienced such a scenario some time in their lives. Those in CPHS are no exception, and with changes and additions to the amount of state-mandated assessments, students’ familiarity with such a scene will only grow. In addition to taking college entrance exams such as the SAT and ACT, students must also participate in a series of practice exams, including three Acuity tests, the PSAT and the newly-structured ACT Aspire. “Acuity is a three-test sequence in English and math, and it is like a pre-test to the ECA. The PSAT is an optional test that is paid for by the state, and we give that to our 10th-graders because we believe it gives the school quality information about a student’s progress and helps students qualify for National Merit scholarships,” assistant principal Robert McDermott said. “The ACT series of tests also allow us to gauge whether or not our students are improving and if our curriculum is working.” Although such exams are administered for
practice purposes, a change in state standards has made high performance on the PSAT a requirement. Students who fail to reach a set benchmark score must now undergo a new exam referred to as the AccuPlacer. “Students who don’t score well on the PSAT or don’t take it have to take what’s called the AccuPlacer test,” McDermott said. “The cut score for sophomore PSAT is a 42. Those scores jump to 46 for juniors. If you hit that benchmark, the board of education in the state of Indiana believes that means you’re on pace to being college ready. If you don’t hit those scores, then you have to take the AccuPlacer, which is a more refined test to determine if you need any extra assistance.” The addition of the AccuPlacer isn’t the only change the Indiana Department of Education has put into effect this year. Previously, an End of Course Assessment (ECA) was given to freshmen enrolled in algebra and sophomores enrolled in any English class as a state graduation requirement. Starting with the 2015-16 school year, a new form of the ISTEP will be administered to all 9th and 10th grade students. This new requirement has resulted in the inclusion of a third section to this year’s English ECA, forcing the exam to nearly double in time. See testing on page 3
Feature
News Morning meditations Students participate in yoga routines at school
page 3
35% 65% percent of juniors who had to take both the math and reading AccuPlacer
15%
85% percent of juniors who had to take only the reading portion of the AccuPlacer
A&E
How tweet it is Learn about the different types of twitter users
page 8
Creative canvases Discover the works of underappreciated artists page 14