Next year, for the first time in 15 years, the state will not provide Arizona’s Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS), testing as a result of Common Core testing. While the reading, writing and math AIMS still counted for graduation, the science test still did not count, but sophomores were required to take it this spring.

Why are we wasting time and money on testing no longer relevant to Arizona’s education system when we could be using it to prepare for nationwide college admission testing that influence a student’s admission to colleges nationwide?

AIMS testing is also poorly planned. Chandler schools test their students after the school day (and an early release), allowing students to be mentally worn after three shortened block periods. They are eager to leave at exactly 2:14, even if it means randomly bubbling in the last 20 questions on their scantron.

Standardized testing is created to measure a student’s subject knowledge; if PHS tested first thing in the morning, students would be wide-eyed and ready to attack the test without distractions from their other classed.

Juniors should appreciate the ACTs

Every year, the school provides juniors with a free ACT test during school one morning in April. The cost of the ACT (without the writing section) is $36.50; multiply that by 668 juniors and $24,382 later, the school guarantees that their students will have some kind of medium to leverage for college entrance.

Juniors often do not understand the significance of the school’s decision to provide the ACT for free. For a good sum of students, this will be the only time that they take this test and it is a huge component for college admission. The majority of 4-year universities require the ACT or SAT to be considered for either financial aid or admission.

By providing it in April of their junior year, PHS allows students to experience the test early and work to improve their scores if necessary. With the exception of the career center and its advisor Pat Phillips, providing ACT testing is one of the best college-prep materials that the school has to offer.

Low SAT scores highlight insignificant in school test prep

Sixty-fifth. According to Phoenix Business Journal, that is PHS’s overall SAT score ranking compared to other Arizona high schools. A measly 65th with an average score of 1557, slightly above the national average of 1498. PHS’s scores are third in the district.

There appears to be a large disconnect between graduating seniors and seniors who are actually ready for college. Forty-six percent of SAT takers are college-ready, according to Collegeboard; this means approximately one-in-two students will struggle immensely in their 101 college courses, a scary figure for American students.

Perhaps more emphasis on a crucial college entrance exams would prove beneficial. Teachers outside of the English department do very little to prepare their students for the SAT.

The school needs to offer test prep in order to prepare students. Taking a few days out of teaching logarithmic functions and implicit differentiation is a pretty serious matter, but it might just pay off in the long run.