By Soumya Sathyanarayana, Co-Webmaster

First period: math test. Fourth period: submit history project. Seventh period: science quiz.

Multiple due dates, tests and quizzes falling on any given day was not unheard of for some students in years past.
Conestoga’s administration acknowledged that this created a stressful environment for students; thus, it implemented assessment days this semester with the goal of limiting student stress.

“Two, three, or even four tests on one particular day is challenging. We wanted to come up with a way to try to spread those tests out and lower some students’ stress,” school principal Dr. Amy Meisinger said.

The addition of assessment days means that teachers must assign tests, quizzes that take longer than half of class time to complete and due dates for projects according to a school-wide schedule based on their respective subject area: World Language and English on Days One and Four, Math and Electives on Days Two and Five, and Social Studies and Science on Days Three and Six.

The effect of assessment days varies among students. While some find them beneficial, others dislike the change.
Sophomore Deekshitha Anandham has noticed that assessment days actually make her more stressed. For her, they have the opposite of the intended effect; she now finds herself having multiple tests in a day, whereas before, her tests would have been naturally spaced out.

“I feel like it makes (me) a little bit more stressed. We have two subjects in one day, and that makes you have to study for two tests the day before. And, most people don’t plan out their studying,” Anandham said.

However, for junior Lex Shah, assessment days have made school easier.

“I like (assessment days) more than the old thing where I would have four tests on the same day. I have them throughout the week so I can study for one thing the night before,” Shah said.

Teachers are affected by assessment days, too. If their lesson plans do not align with their assessment day, they may have to move on to the next unit and wait to test on the previous unit for a few days.

Kathleen Walter, an AP teacher and Social Studies Department Chair, has not been greatly affected by this change. Although she has had to move her lessons around, she did not find it difficult to do so.

“There is a specific date when the AP exam is going to be given if students choose to take it,” Walter said. “So, if unit one is finished and we’re not testing for two days, I’ll move on to unit two because we don’t have the leeway to just do some extra activities.”

Assessment days are still in their trial period and according to Meisinger, the administration will work to collect feedback on how they can be improved.

Soumya Sathyanarayana can be reached at [email protected].