Lowell Magazine — May 2015

Lowell The

TESTING TESTING 4

STOP. PROCRASTINATING. 10

RACE THE NATION

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2015

ON THE EDGE OF GLORY

TESTING TESTING

FIGHTING FOR FIRST

Pictures showcase dance concert “On the Edge”

How teachers handled new state testing with new technology

Track and field team seeks All-City championship

Photos by Zoe Kaiser

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By Joseph Kim and JoyAnne Ibay

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By Stephanie Li and Johann Leffler

STOP. PROCRASTINATING. Reporter ponders the horrors of putting work off for later By Rayming Liang

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MORE ON THELOWELL.ORG

Varsity baseball defended their title of city champions on May 6 at AT&T Park, beating their rival, the Washington Eagles, 9-1. —Johann Leffler

@TheLowell

FRONT COVER: The girls’ distance medley relay team (sophomore Sierra Brill, senior Victoria Yee, senior Sydney Gutierrez, junior Kristen Leung) ran a record-breaking race at the Arcadia Invitational on April 11, currently ranked #3 in America.

See TRACK on page 8. Photo courtesy of Sydney Gutierrez.

KIARA GIL

The Lowell

APES cares for chicks

by Josephine Dang

Chess queen visits

by Jennifer Zhang

on the

edge

The dance classes and dance company performed at their concert “On the Edge� on April 17-18. Top: senior Arina Romanova.

Bottom left: sophomore Cara Loo. Bottom right: seniors Irene Chung and Sasha Kharag. All photos by Zoe Kaiser.

COMMENTS From The Lowell’s Facebook page: Re: “Why Lowell needs a college counselor” 4/11 “I don’t think anyone at Lowell thinks that having more counselors is a bad idea. The case for a college counselor is especially compelling. However, the problem has always been and will continue to be money: how much there is and how it’s distributed throughout the district. Despite the lack of this resource, Lowell students manage to bundle their way through the admissions process with remarkable success for kids from a low-income inner-city public school. Therefore in a cash-strapped district where other schools undoubtably demonstrate more need for a college counselor, or other

additional counselors/support staff there isn’t rally any rationale at the district level for funding such a position.

Granted, Lowell has control over its own finances, but if previous budget breakdowns are any indication, there isn’t much wiggle room for hiring new staff. Classes are already too large and the current counseling department is understaffed. So where would the money come from? The only likely expectation is the funds raised annually by the PTSA and the LAA. The question is whether or not the position is the best use of that money. It would be important to know what else it could be spent on.”

-Elijah Alperin

FROM THE EDITORS

Editors-in-Chief review this year’s changes to The Lowell Dear readers of The Lowell, Journalism isn’t easy.

There were ten senior editors on the staff of The Lowell last year, and this year we had five.

With a smaller and younger group of editors, we knew this year’s publication had to get creative.

Last spring, we decided to switch to a fullcolor magazine format to explore more dynamic page design and feature more creative photography.

We’ve switched from the “sprint for print” mentality to the “digital-first” mindset, so that all stories are published first online as soon as possible.

Change isn’t easy and we did make mistakes along the way. But we’ve improved our system to make sure that all stories and pages are published

with care.

We also said goodbye to the gray, 2-inch square mugshots of subjects and adopted a portrait-style graphic idea as we began to experiment with more angles and lighting in the photography department.

In the video department, we began with a focus on sports. Next year, we hope to experiment with more investigative news videos and features.

We’ve been committed to breaking news. We posted live updates on the bomb threat at school before local news stations’ coverage. We began live tweeting more consistently and for more events.

We also engaged more of the student body as we conducted student surveys about the school’s revised dress code and student use of rideshare companies, and then reported the data in an

involved story both in print and on the website.

So why do we care?

We come to Journalism for the moments when a reporter gets off the phone with a district rep with some revealing information and see their eyes, starry with determination.

You are the reason we wanted to feature more engaging page design. You are the reason our photographers and videographers hustle around the city to capture sports games, city hall presentations and more.

You are the reason we have all spent our high school years dedicated to informing and engaging the Lowell community.

Andrew Pearce, Sam Tick-Raker, Samantha Wilcox, Michelle Wong Editors-in-Chief

LETTERS

Student challenges unfair Advanced Placement fees Dear Editor, As it is now the end of Advanced Placement testing week, I want to bring light to the financial strain attached to taking on an AP-filled courseload for those students who fail to meet the eligibility requirements for free and reduced lunch (FARL).

Currently, qualifying for free and reduced lunch determines whether a student is eligible for

financial aid for the AP exam. A test costs $91, but if you are eligible for FARL, this number is brought down to $5. In schools like Lowell, where many students tend to take on a plethora of AP courses, the money associated with paying these test fees adds up quickly if they are not qualified for FARL, whose cutoff is $30,610 for a family of four. While the Lowell Alumni Association is able to provide need-based scholarships for those who

fail to meet the requirements for FARL, it can only subsidize half the cost of each exam. For a rising senior like myself, who barely surpasses the FARL cut off and who will be taking seven AP tests next year, paying several hundred dollars for testing at a public school is simply ridiculous.

Rather than accepting or rejecting you for financial aid, the school or other source of funding

See AP FEES on pg. 13

The Lowell May 2015

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EDITORIAL

Why we need a special schedule before AP exams

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tudent ID card? Check.

Student Pack? Check. Lowell students complete their final inventories before they file into their testing rooms, blearyeyed and anxious for the exam.

The month of May is a stressful one for Lowell students, who are burdened with Advanced Placement exams, finals and standardized testing all within a few short weeks, sometimes even overlapping. In order to significantly reduce the academic stress on students, administrators should consider a special finals schedule before AP testing occurs.

Strength in Numbers Lowell administered 3,800 AP tests this year, which is more than any other high school in the country, according to Assistant Principal of Curriculum Holly Giles. Additionally, out of the total 648 classes at Lowell on the 2015-2016 Announcer, 116 are AP courses. More than half of the student body takes at least one AP, with 1500 of the 2600 students signing up each year, according to AP coordinator Steve Granucci.

For all these students, however, the weeks leading up to an exam are stressful no matter their preparedness or intelligence.

Many AP teachers choose to give their final exams before the AP exam in order to help pinpoint problem areas in the material and help students go into the AP exam with confidence. However helpful, early finals pose a lot of problems. Unlike the final exams given at the end of the fall semester, early AP final ex-

“They are not eating or sleeping properly, and it is going to ripple out into all aspects of their lives.” ams are crammed into a regular class period, which is either 45 minutes or 1 hour. Students rush to complete a multiple choice packet in the allotted time, and run the risk of having multiple finals on one day.

Time Management In contrast, the finals schedule that Lowell uses for the end of both fall and spring semesters calls for no more than two final

Editors-in-Chief

Andrew Pearce • Sam Tick-Raker Samantha Wilcox • Michelle Wong Managing Editors Whitney C. Lim, Amber Ly News Joseph Kim, ­Whitney C. Lim, Michelle Wong Sports Cynthia Leung, Amber Ly, Andrew Pearce, Sam Tick-Raker Features Luke Haubenstock Opinion Madelyn Chen, Ophir Cohen-Simayof, Samantha Wilcox Reporters Lisa Cheung, Josephine Dang, Aiko Delos Reyes, Jade Fong, Danielle Flores, Caleb Hilladakis, Adrian Hung, JoyAnne Ibay, Joseph Kim, Johann Leffler, Stephanie Li, Rayming Liang, Jacqueline Nguyen, Tyler Perkins, Paula Quon, Arthur Register, Rachael Schmidt, Noreen Shaikh, Olivia Starr, Emily Teng, Clarissa Wan, Sophia Wu, Luming Yuan, Jennifer Zhang, Kellen Zheng Illustrators Emily Teng, Stephan Xie Photo Editor Zoe Kaiser Photographers Leonard Caoli, Kenny Dzib, Kiara Gil, Kelley Grade, Karina Huft, Aida Irving, Zoe Kaiser, Alexis Picache Multimedia Editor Ariel Yuan Art Manager Emily Teng Business Managers Jason Li, Carissa Ng, Gabe Schumm Web Managers Srinand Paruthiyil, Ivy La

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exam slots in one day, and allows 1 hour and 45 minutes to complete exams. It also gives a tutorial period for students to form study groups or conference with teachers about material they find hard to grasp.

If administrators were to establish a similar schedule for the week before AP exams, stu-

dents would have the chance to not only stagger their finals, but also to take their finals in a setting that would be more similar to the actual AP exams. Most AP tests are structured with a 1-hour multiple choice section, a 15 minute break, and then a 2-hour section for free-response questions (FRQs). Currently, many teachers with early finals give separate multiple choice and FRQ finals because of time

constraints, which splits up the material for students and doesn’t give them the advantage of experiencing test-like conditions.

An extended class period would allow a teacher to give a final or practice test with a multiplechoice and a free-response exam together, helping students improve their time-management skills for the AP. Teacher Opinions Some teachers agree that having special times allotted for AP finals would help students to absorb the material without having the cram before the exam.

“Teachers and administrators should make a concerted effort to lessen the burden on our students during the leadup to APs and during APs,” AP Physics and Seminar teacher Richard Shapiro said. “When there are too many high-value assignments, students are torn between classes and can have a nervous breakdown.”

By staggering AP finals, administrators would be helping both the physical and emotional health of their students, greatly decreasing their stress during such a tense time. “When students are cramming for multiple classes, they aren’t treating See SCHEDULE on pg. 13

Adviser

Samuel Williams

2014 NSPA Online Pacemaker 2012 NSPA Print Pacemaker 2011 NSPA All-American 2011 NSPA Online Pacemaker

2009 NSPA First Class Honors

2007 NSPA All-American 2007 NSPA Web Pacemaker 2007 CSPA Gold Crown

Published by the journalism classes of Lowell High School, Room S108, 1101 Eucalyptus Drive, San Francisco, CA 94132. Phone: (415) 759-2730. Email: thelowellnews@gmail.com, thelowellads@yahoo.com. All contents copyright Lowell High School journalism classes. All rights reserved.

The Lowell strives to inform the public and to use their opinion sections as open forums for debate. All unsigned editorials are the opinions of the staff.

The Lowell welcomes comments on school-related issues from students, faculty and community members. Send letters to lowellopinion@gmail.com. Letters must be signed. Names will be withheld upon request. We reserve the right to edit letters before publication.

TESTING TESTING NEW ONLINE STATE TESTING BRINGS TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES, TURNING THREE DAYS INTO FOUR WEEKS.

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By Joseph Kim and JoyAnne Ibay

Juniors Taking SBAC

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Lowell Computers Available for Testing

90 District-Provided Testing Computers

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NEWS

AST TIME THE PROBLEM was booting up laptops; this time it was a bad WiFi connection. English teacher Bryan Ritter stuck his head out the classroom door in frustration and waved down a test coordinator. It was day five, and his junior class was still taking the new state test on a new online program.

This situation is an example of the issues that arose with the administration of the new Smarter Balanced test: limited equipment, technical difficulties, scheduling conflicts, and lost instructional time.

The test, administered online for the first time this year by the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC), replaced the California Standardized Testing (CST) and is based on the new Common Core curriculum. Unlike CST testing, the SBAC testing must be completed online and is computer adaptive, meaning the questions change depending on student performance, allowing students to take the test at their own pace. Unlike the multiple-choice CST, the SBAC English test included a typed written essay and several typed short-answer questions.

Technical issues, the untimed nature of the test, and scheduling conflicts resulted in over fourweeks of test-taking when the test was planned to be taken for only three days.

Some teachers began the SBAC test April 8, when the site was first open for testing.

The administration scheduled a threeday special schedule with two-hour blocks, April 13 through April 15, when the majority of teachers did testing. The school’s testing was not officially completed until May 7, according to assistant principal of curriculum Holly Giles.

The number of laptops available for use during the testing played an important role in the scheduling of the test. For the 653 juniors taking the test, the District provided three carts with thirty Macbook Air laptops in each. This was insufficient in supplying a majority of the classes, which had more than 30 students. Because of this shortage, a number of laptops had to be transferred from one cart to another according to how many students there were in the class, according to Giles.

For each school this year, the district only supplied one computer to every 8-10 students taking the test, according to John Burke, supervisor at the district Assessments Office, which manages testing for the district. “A long term goal is to be able to give every student their own individual computer for the testing, but until then this is what we have,” Burke said.

According to Lowell Tech Committee Chair Bryan Marten, the

SBAC testing is a “partially unfunded mandate” because the state requires students to take the test on computers, but the district did not supply enough funding for each student to have his or her own computer for the test.

The week before the testing began, the District IT looked into issues regarding the school’s WiFi, and after making some changes, “dramatically improved our WiFi network,” according to Marten.

The testing also proved to be a challenge technologically for numerous teachers, particularly in the English department, according to English teacher Jennifer Moffit.

Despite updates to the WiFi, the English department experienced multiple issues connecting all students to the testing site, according to Moffitt. The English department administered the test using the three carts of thirty Macbook Airs in addition to the library computer lab. They also faced difficulties with network connectivity and computer crashing problems. “There were some issues with system settings that I never really understood and computers that crashed during the testing; at one point, even my testing administration computer crashed,” Moffitt said.

The shortage of Macbooks, in addition to their low reliability in booting up, took much of the allotted test-taking time, according to English teacher Bryan Ritter. “The first day I tried it, it took me about 35 minutes to get everyone on,” Ritter said. “It was a rough start because we didn’t have enough computers either physically in the room, or we didn’t have enough computers that actually worked.”

Despite the scheduling and proctoring issues teachers faced, the English department was pleased with the SBAC test’s content. “Most English teachers have found that the test itself seems, from what can be observed, to be a good test — a test that is skills-focused, wellaligned with Common Core standards and with the type of big-picture, significant skills most of us focus on in our classrooms,” Moffitt said.

The math department administered the test using four Chromebook carts purchased by the Lowell Technology Committee, with funds from the school budget, the Parent Teacher Student Association, and the Alumni Association.

Although grants for the Chromebook carts had been approved by the Tech Committee in October 2014, the administration delayed the purchases until the committee created by-laws and updated its tech plan for the school in February, according to Marten.

Some teachers believed that receiving the equipment earlier could See SBAC on pg. 13

“THE FIRST DAY I TRIED IT, IT TOOK ME ABOUT 35 MINUTES TO GET EVERYONE ON.”

The Lowell May 2015

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The Lowell May 2015

Summer Programs

2015

It’s hard to focus when there are a million things going on at once.

That’s why summer is the best time to prepare for the SAT when students are free from the obligations of school clubs, teams, and homework. Elite has a variety of programs, schedules, and locations to give students and their families the flexibility to select the program that best meets their needs. Summer is just around the corner, so don’t let today go by without reserving a spot in an Elite summer program.

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1410 Irving Street San Francisco, CA 94122 (415) 665-5888 sanfrancisco@eliteprep.com The Lowell May 2015

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SPORTS

FIGHTING FOR FIRST Shattering records one race at a time

By Stephanie Li and Johann Leffler

Head coach Andy Leong, who has been with the team for 28 years, watches the meet.

ZOE KAISER 8 v ZOE KAISER

The Lowell May 2015

Senior distance runner Isaiah Abeyta leads his teammate around the curve in the 1600m race on May 7 at SOTA. He finished first with a time of 4:43.22.

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ITH LESS THAN two weeks to go until All-City trials on May 23, the track team is racing against time to improve as much as possible before the highlight of the season starts.

The track team is smashing record after record on the road to the championship meet, from the girls’ distance medley relay team’s school record at the Arcadia Invitational to continuous individual improvement during meets.

The meet at Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts on May 7 was the second-to-last meet before All-City trials begin. The track team’s progress during the meet and the meets before has made the season so far a success, according to sprint coach Michael Speech. “This is the time of the season when people are supposed to be getting faster, and they are,” he said.

Wanting to prove themselves before the championship, many athletes broke their individual records at the meet. During the 4x400m relay, senior anchor Sydney Gutierrez broke one minute for the first time (0:59.63), while junior Kristen Leung beat her old personal time by one second (1:02.94). Senior distance runner Isaiah Abeyta achieved a new personal record for the mile (4:43.22), and junior hurdler Linda Wang set a new personal best for the 300m hurdles (0:50.98). All of them placed first in their respective events.

The track team’s performance at the meet made head coach Andy Leong more confident. “In March we weren’t sure what we had, but about two weeks ago [the results] started to appear that the team is good and is getting better,” he said. “We still got ways to go though — track and

ZOE KAISER

field is always a work in progress.”

Leung attributes the distance team’s improvement to the “work hard, play hard” mentality the team adopted this season. “There’s never a day of practice when we’re not cracking sarcastic jokes, but there’s also not a day of practice that we choose the path of least resistance,” she said.

Changes in the practice schedules are also helping the Cardinals advance, according to junior sprinter Madison Jones.

“It’s our toughest year competition-wise, but individually, everyone is improving because the way our coaches are coaching has changed so that the practices are more scheduled and planned,” she said.

If the track team continues to practice hard and stay consistent, Abetya believes that they have a good chance of being crowned city champions again. “It’s going to be difficult, but if everyone gives it

their all, we can do it,” he said.

The improvement the team has shown has also made Leong hopeful about retaining the championship title. “The coaches and I have to make some good moves and decide what frosh-soph runners to move up,” he said. “We have to strategically choose and place our chess pieces and those people have to come through.”

The Cardinals will continue to work hard and build on their progress as AllCity trials approaches.

Girls’ Distance Medley Relay At the prestigious Arcadia Invitational in Los Angeles on April 11, the girls’ distance medley relay (DMR) team clocked a team record time of 11:55.71, allowing them to claim the third best time in the nation.

See TRACK on pg. 13

The Lowell May 2015

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LIVES

STEPHAN XIE

STOP. PROCRASTINATING.

By Rayming Liang

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T’S 12 IN THE MORNING, and behind me I have a mess of Geology, Advanced Placement United States History and Honors Pre-Calculus homework, strewn all over the edge of my bed, waiting to be completed. In front of me is my laptop, but I don’t have it opened to School Loop to check my homework or even Facebook to ask friends what page we need to read for English. Instead, I’m busy mashing buttons as lights flash and colors whirl across the screen from the game Elsword. If you haven’t noticed, I am definitely procrastinating.

Procrastination has been my most recent vice — it has led me to pull multiple all-nighters and prevented me from applying to any summer internships (sorry, Mom). In fact, I did not even start this draft until the day it was due to my editor. Truth be told, it has often gotten on my nerves that I cannot finish anything until the last minute, but I just have not been able to break this bad habit. And so, I have recently been thinking about exactly when and why this procrastination cycle began.

I remember times in my adolescence when I did not procrastinate. I practiced the piano immediately after dinner and finished all of my homework before bed time. In fact, I never even knew of the word “procrastination” until fifth grade, when my sixth grade English teacher Ms. Ernst came to give us our summer homework. It was perhaps a week or two before summer break, and she walked in with an aura of command, giving us our assignment with grave seriousness. Then she spoke of procrastination, and told us specifically not to wait until the last month to finish the homework.

With her tough demeanor and my shy nature, I was terrified, but her message stuck. I finished the work within the first month of the break and spent the rest of it relaxing.

Truth be told, sixth grade was perhaps one of the most productive years of my life — I finished all my work on time, found class interesting, and had fun all along the way.

And yet, after sixth grade I dropped my good study habits, partly because I wasn’t worried about Ms. Ernst all the time, and partly because I gained the freedoms of young adulthood — curfews being at 10 p.m. instead of 8 p.m., and having a computer in my room, with less nagging from my parents (though not by that much). With more leniencies and liberties, I felt like nobody could stop me from living my life the way I wanted to. And thus, my room became more disorganized, arguments between my parents and I were more frequent, and my studying abilities proceeded to digress slightly — though I still managed to pass middle school with flying colors.

The first incident of my diabolical delays was my seventh grade science fair project. Although I have always loved science, when time came for me to propose my own question and create a science project out of it using scientific inquiry, I was reluctant. Always favoring group work, I was terrified by having to do all the research, talking to at least twenty individuals about conducting the tests on them, and constructing a poster board with significant analysis of what I had done. I soon found myself trying to push all thoughts about my project into the recesses of my mind so that they would not haunt my dreams. Consequently, I began my project, a work that we were given around three months to fine-tune and complete, only a week before the science fair. Although I miraculously finished the project, the rush led to covering my board with line paper as the background, writing a conclusion that was in no way related to my results and having to improvise a speech on the spot during the fair. Thus, my project lacked the brilliance and grandeur that I had envisioned. When the following year’s science fair rolled around, I found myself rushing just as much as I had the first time. I swore to myself that I would never procrastinate again, but promises made with little heart are very easily broken over time.

When I first got to Lowell, I got all of my work done early and planned out every project and assignment in my trusty planner. However, I did

not stick to my middle school resolution for long, for the Lowell lifestyle soon sank in and I found myself sitting in front of my computer watching YouTube videos about building a TNT launcher in Minecraft rather than hunting down a current events news story regarding ethnic conflicts in East Asia.

At this point I became a chronic procrastinator, which makes up 20 percent of our current population, according to a recent study by a group of psychology professors at DePaul University (www4.desales.edu/~minstrel/issue-44-2/procrastination.html). While this is a significant minority of people, I’m not sure how proud I am to be in it, as it proves somewhat tricky to deal with. For example, I would be able to complete homework and projects on time for a few days at a time, but I always ended up relapsing into long periods of procrastination, playing Starcraft 2 and Tetris Wars instead of writing lab reports about an entropy experiment and finishing drafts about The Woman Warrior.

Matters only worsened when the all-nighters came. I had never pulled an all-nighter prior to a fateful freshman English project on Prometheus and other Greek myths, consisting of a thirty page packet requiring hours upon hours of research. With about half a section done the day before it was due, I knew I was in for a rough night. And so, with my laptop on the desk, my notes on my bed, and perhaps a few of those handy Costco madeleines nearby, I set to work. Time crawled by slower than molasses, disturbed only by the small clicks of the keyboard, the turning of pages, and a few stomach growls.

Soon, it was time for school, and I was finishing up the last few touches of the picture I had to draw. And while the project felt like taking off a 15-pound backpack after getting home, the rest of the day was worse than climbing Mount Diablo from the base— I was drowsy all day, struggled through my seven classes and strained through a vigorous dragon boat practice half awake.

Despite my hardships, I apparently have still not learned my lesson, seeing that I pulled another all-nighter recently for an AP United States History project. It was in the middle of the night, when I had just managed to dish out half the project, wolfing down madeleines, that I started to think about why I was staying up so late. You may think the reason is that homework is boring or mind-bogglingly difficult. However, neither of these hypotheses are true, for I actually find homework quite interesting and fun when challenging.

Part of me wants to just point at myself and say it’s simply my mindset.

However, I noticed that many of the times I’ve procrastinated was during a large-scale project that requires at least a few weeks to complete. I also have to admit that my forgetfulness and pridefulness in being able to work at the last minute has affected me as well. In short, my reasons for procrastination are a mixture of mental attitude and influences from the assignment itself.

Yes, I do acknowledge that procrastination has been a hindrance in my life, and I could probably learn to live without it. By dropping this habit, I would also reduce a lot of negative side-effects, such as higher acute health problems, practicing fewer wellness behaviors and higher stress, according to Dr. Fuschia Sirois of the University of Windsor (www.psychologytoday.com/blog/dont-delay/200804/ill-look-after-my-health-later-thecosts-procrastination). However, I feel that perpetually working at the last possible moment has made me who I am. The stress that has built on me from procrastination is now all too familiar to me, and the lack of sleep is now a nightly routine. Even so, the stress and lack of sleep has not stopped me from being a good athlete, nor prevented me from participating in afterschool activities like Boy Scouts. Overall, I plan to slowly get work on getting rid of this practice by trying to write daily schedules of the homework I need to do and attempting to sleep earlier when I have no work, but until then, I think I’ll go distract myself with Hearthstone. Oh hey, got my Legendary card!

I remember times in my adolescence when I did not procrastinate. I practiced the piano immediately after dinner and finished all of my homework before curfew.

The Lowell May 2015

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Be Prepared! 

SUMMER COURSES Calculus



Pre-Calculus



Algebra 1 & 2



Geometry (Hon)

Description Upgrade Learning center has invited Mr. Karl Hoffman to teach the above summer math courses that are designed to help prepare students for the next year. Each course focuses in developing a strong foundation for our students by reviewing the prerequisite skills and introducing upcoming challenges. Arm yourself with knowledge and get ready for next year!

MR. HOFFMAN Lowell High School’s Teacher

With 21 Years of Teaching Experience In High School Mathematics

www.upgradeteaching.com (415) 661 – 1225

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The Lowell May 2015

1443A Noriega Street San Francisco, CA 94122

The Lowell thanks the Lowell Alumni Association for its support in purchasing technology for the 20152016 school year

New testing, new challenges From SBAC on pg. 5 have helped better prepare for the testing. “There were a couple of difficulties that we experienced during the administration of the test,” math department chair Thomas Chambers said. “It would have been easier if we received the equipment earlier, but we survived the way that it was.”

The math department experienced fewer issues with the testing, limited to a minor router incident in Room 275 and Chromebook battery life concerns, according to Chambers. Despite concerns regarding the Chromebooks’ battery lives, the laptops lasted the two-hour testing blocks.

In addition to technical issues, SBAC testing caused scheduling conflicts for the teachers in both the English and math departments.

Students not enrolled in a math class were pulled out of their regular classes to take the math test in another class, or took it during free blocks, according to a report Chambers made on the SBAC testing requested by Giles. Additionally, testing on the two regular C/B code days, Thursday and Friday, proved to be inadequate due to long set-up and login times. As for the English department, at least six days of

instructional time were lost, some teachers possibly losing nine due to testing, according to Moffitt.

Senior students also lost instructional hours as a result of the testing. While juniors were busy with SBAC testing, seniors in mixed classes were placed in separate rooms for study hall, according to English department chair Meredith Santiago.

The English department saw multiple areas of improvement for the SBAC testing and would like more formal training next year. The 40-minute training for teachers administering the test was not clear due to the district trainer using unfamiliar terminology, according to Ritter. The district trainer also did not address everything that could come up during testing, according to Ritter.

Organizing proctoring was also a major area for potential improvement, according to Moffitt. “I see no reason why only English and math should give this test,” she said. “At no point is my expertise as an English teacher at all a factor in my proctoring. I calculated the math and I lost 7.4 percent of my spring semester instructional days and I think some teachers lost even more.” v

From SCHEDULE on pg. 2 themselves with a healthy attitude,” Wellness Center Coordinator Xavier Salazar said. “They are not eating or sleeping properly, and it is going to ripple out into all aspects of their lives.” When AP finals are looming, many students may cut their regular classes in order to study.

Moving the finals for AP classes forward would allow both teachers and students more time to go over their final or practice exam. Currently, there is usually a rushed short period of classtime where teachers gloss over the reasoning behind the most frequently missed questions, but not all students have their questions answered to their satisfaction. If classes had more time to go over their practice tests, students would be more confident going into the real AP. However, this proposition is far from reality, according to Giles, who says that she would need more feedback from the community before pursuing a special schedule. Additionally, some teachers also think that moving finals for AP classes would pose problems for student attitude

toward the class. There already is time to fill for AP students in the two weeks between the end of AP exams and the last day of school. Would moving AP finals before AP exams lengthen the dead time?

By increasing the time between the final exam and the end of the school year, there is a possibility for teachers and students to kick back and relax, taking a break from the rigor of preparing for exams. However, as many teachers already do, this time could be used more constructively to complete final projects that go more in-depth with material or that apply material to the real world.

Also, not every student at Lowell takes an AP exam. While there is a definite majority that do, what would happen to the students and teachers in regular level or underclassmen courses who would have to work through a schedule that wasn’t catering to them? While freshman might not immediately benefit from the special scheduling, they would benefit during their sophomore, junior or senior years. v

How to accommodate early AP finals

Relay team breaks 18-year-old record

From TRACK on pg. 9 Consisting of senior Sydney Gutierrez, junior Kristen Leung, senior Victoria Yee and sophomore Sierra Brill, the team not only shattered the previous school record of 12:00.29, but also placed third in the meet. Brill ran the 1200m (3:41.568), Yee ran the 400m (1:02.408), Gutierrez ran the 800m (2:15.354) and Leung anchored the 1600m (4:56.374).

Considering that the last time a Lowell DMR team placed nationally was in 1997, running the third fastest DMR time in the nation is a feat the girls are proud of. “Running at a meet like Arcadia with a lot of the top runners in the nation makes you feel like one of the greats,” Brill said. “It’s really a treat to experience the intensity of the athletes around you and know that all of the work you put into your sport paid off to get you there.” v

Letter: AP exam fees should be fair From AP FEES on pg. 3 should comprise a tier system in which they allot aid in proportion to a family’s needs. For example, for every $1,000 a family makes over the FARL cut off, $1 could be added to the $5 AP exam. If a family of two is making $5,000 more annually than the requirement for reduced lunch, instead of paying the full $91 price or the $5 FARL price, that family could pay $10 per exam. In this way, assistance could be generated by seeing a fuller picture of the applicant’s true economic position.

Students, regardless of their economic background, should be able to take a challenging course load and the cost of taking a test must not be a factor discouraging some from enriching their educational experience at Lowell.

Sincerely, Camilia Kacimi, Reg 1618

CORRECTION: The swimming photo on pages 14-15 in the April issue was incorrectly credited to Aida Irving; it should be credited to Alexis Picache.

The Lowell May 2015

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