P«ge 2
THE HIGH liFE
April 29, 1977
School Board
Discusses Exam Policy
W/AIT6R i a
iis/ fAy 5oupl[
At a recent school board
meeting, the topic of the 1977-78
exam policy was debated.
The School board, teachers,
parents, and students took their
views on the subject more readily
this year than ever. The meeting
was to debate on whether a
requirement of five exams is to be
given to students in our four high
schools next year.
The school board and many
teachers, as well as parents
believe that a tougher examina
tion requirement should be put in
effect beginning the upcoming
year. But the final decision on this
topic is highly questionable,
mainly because many teachers,
parents, and especially students
have opposite opinions.
The board and many of our
teachers want the five exam
schedule because they believe if
would be a learning experience
for the students and better
prepare the students who want to
further their education after high
school. But on the other hand,
many teachers believe it could
cause confusion and unnecessary
work for the schools and that they
should leave it the way it is. Many
parents believe their children are
not getting the kind of education
they should have and are asking
for the adoption of the five exam
requirement policy. Such parents
of high school students have
become more and more persistent
on this issue and are greatly
compounding the matter between
everybody else.
Only the students in our high
schools can completely express
their feelings. I believe nearly
every student here at GHS is
firmly against the exam policy.
The students as well as others
who oppose the adoption believe
it would induce the students to
take easier subjects and would
lead to lower educated students.
The main gripe of our students is
that if they must take five exams
there will be just too many exams
to study for and it would cause
bad grades on their report cards.
The seniors who do not even have
to worry about next year's exams,
also show a big opposition to the
decision. A large number of
senior home rooms have
unanimously voted against it, but
even so, the board, teachers, and
parents, may not consider such a
resistance by students in their
decision.
So we have an issue which
nobody so far can really tell what
is going to happen, but one
everybody can tell you what they
want.
Test For Grads
In Raleigh, on April 14 the
House approved a two-part bill
requiring competency tests for six
levels of school students.
The bill which require all high
school students to pass compe
tency tests before they could
graduate are being strongly
pushed by Governor Jim Hunt as
a way of making the school
systems accountable. The propo
sal by our Governor would require
a statewide test in basic subjects
of students in first, second, third,
and sixth grades. Also in
definitely in ninth and twelth.
Spring Comes To Grimsiey
The rites of spring are now
upon us. The trees and flowers
are blooming as fast as the
temperature is rising. Students
are catching that dreaded disease
called spring fever, as well as hay
fever. Teachers are struggling to
keep accurate attendance records
because of the unusual high
amount of absence from classes
due to the weather. Yes, these are
the signs of the times.
Students are having a hard
time keeping their minds on their
school work with the many
diversions that are happening
around them. What with the trips
to the beach, skiing, sun, picnics,
parties and tennis matches it is
really hard to concentrate on
books. It is a wonder that the
whole school dosn’t flunk out.
Everyone knows the feeling of
wanting to be sitting by a lake or
an ocean or just out in the cool
green grass, while their chemis
try teacher is trying to explain the
finer points of covalent bonds.
School holds no interest as
compared to the things we could
be doing outside. It takes a most
disciplined person to maintain his
studies during this period. Either
he is disciplined or justxme who is
naturally boring.
Seniors have an especially
difficult time in school during
spring. Zero per cent of the
seniors at Grimsiey enjoy staying
at home at night trying to finish a
spring term paper when they '
could be doing something else.
The main objective of those who
have “senioritis” is to have a
good time, graduate, aAd to
maintain a good enough average
to be accepted in college, in that
order. No one cares about
vocabulary tests or who said what
about the New Deal. None of that
is relative in the minds of
upperclassmen who are trying to
survive their senior year.
Spring is also a time for love.
The girls are beginning to shed
their winter clothing, and the
guys are beginning to take notice.
Guys, that girl in front of you in
your English class is not a new
girl in the school, but the same
one you never noticed in
December. She is just beginning
to bloom now that spring is here.
It is also time to be saving money
for the Prom, the biggest social
event of the entire year. It may
also be the last date for the
remainder of the year because of
the lack of funds afterwards.
Teacher’s we hope you are not
offended if we do not show in your
class on time. It is not because
you are boring, but because it is
spring and we are releasing our
stored energies from the harsh
winter and it cannot be done
taking notes. For the seniors it is
our last chance to act like kids
before we have to force ourselves
into maturity at the various
institutions for higher learning.
Bear with us while we enjoy one
last fling with each other before
we part and go our seperate ways
never again having these
opportunities. We’ll go into life
and the seriousness of the
adult-world and remember these
times of our youth as some of our
best. Teacher, forgive me for my
apathy but I’m trying to be young
before it’s too late.
No Need For Five Exams
I'he exam policy of the
Greensboro Senior high schools,
in my opinion, is effective. But, in
polling other students and
teachers, differences of opinion
exist.
The present exam policy
requires that each class takes a
certain number of exams.
Sophomores, for example, must
take a minimum of four exams.
Juniors are required to take at
least three, while the seniors may
takj only two exams.
The purpose for exams is to test
the knowledge students gained
from each course. There are at
least two other benefits to the
student. First, the student has
better preparation for the College
Board exam, because he has
learned to act under pressure of
taking a long test. Secondly, he
has another opportunity to bring
up his semester average.
One can see the opinions on the
present exam policy by polling
students and teachers. Two out of
the three students polled
recently, approved of the present
policy for taking exams. They
agreed “If we didn’t have this
policy, then we would be able to
exempt exams if we had better
than a B average. Many students
don’t make such high grades.”
On the other hand, other
teachers disagree with the
present exam policy. Three
teachers thought that the present
system should be changed. They
believe that students should be
required to take five exams. This,
they said, would ,Jielp students
prepare for college exams. One
teacher gave this comment;
“Every student picks his easiest
subject to take an exam. When I
was in school, we had to take all
of our exams and a competency
test to graduate. This is how it
should be for high schools in this
city.”
In my opinion, the present
exam policy is good. It gives me a
chance to pick any exams I would
like to take. In junior high school
one had no choice of which exams
he was to take. He took all the
exams. I also like the policy
because as I advance to each year
of high school, the number of
exams I am require to take
decreases.
(Like many others). 1 approve
of the present exam system. On
the other hand, many teachers
dislike the system. These
opinions will not change until
students and teachers get
together and agree on an exam
policy. Chris HIpps
There has been no decisions for
tenth and eleventh graders. This
would begin the 1977-78 school
year which would “access the
effectiveness of our educational
process.”, said Governor Hunt.
Many teachers have been
concerned that they would be
held responsible for test results,
and are aruging this because of
the unfair way it may show in
various school curriculums in
different school districts. They
have also challenged the validity
or real value of these tests,
charging that the bill would
encourage the teaching of how to
take tests rather than teaching
course contents.
The Governor will appoint a
commission to select appropriate
tests to the state board of
education. This commission then
seemingly would decide on which
tests are to be given and
everything pertaining to test
pretaining to timing and
procedures for giving them.
Local and state minority groups
have also objected to the bill
because they charged that tests
results would descriminate
against children who attend
schools in which a complete
curriculum isn’t offered as in
wealthy district and that is
discriminatory because it doesn’t
apply to non-public schools. They .
have a point there because the
amendment for non-public
schools was defeated, but the
testing program may be changed
for these schools anyway.
Now I believe I have covered
nearly all the facts to this date
and I have taken a side or have
common belief as any teachers,
parents, and students feel. The
real value" of these competence
tests will not make our school
districts accountable, increase
students and teachers quality of
work, and put North Carolina’s
educational funds and national
rates better. If our new governor
is in all seriousness and believes
that a better quality of education
will be achieved by these tests
maybe the new educational
proces will be more effective. But
I think, as many others, that it
will only end up having teachers
teaching us to take tests and leave
no meaning to what course
offerings are today. Every high
school graduate will be required
to have a score of grad 9.5 on his
test. Even so, the student may
score this or higher, we are still
not sure if he or she will leave
their high school prepared with
the skills they should have been
taught in school for their future,
whatever it may be. Do the
students at GHS or any other high
school want this? I don’t know,
but I think I could make an
educational guess. What do you
think?
It looks very likely that the bill
will pass and next year’s school
section will see these tests
coming even though the people
giving and taking the tests don’t
seem to want it.
Thanks to
Journalism lA
For Their
Work on the
Paper
HIGHUFE
PobUshedMontUy
Grimsiey Senior High ^hool
801 Westover Tetrsce
Greensboro, N.C. 27408
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