An exam for every class: N.C. introduces Common Examinations

Coming to Northwood this year is a new state mandated test that could affect different aspects of school life such as teaching styles, teacher’s pay and exam exemption policies.

The new state mandated tests are called the Common Examinations. These tests aim to make sure all students are learning the new common core central standards, as well as measure teacher effectiveness and make sure that teachers are doing a good job based off of student test scores.

While the Common Examinations have been postponed until the second semester, many students and teachers have their own feelings about the Common Examinations.

Some teachers see both the positive effects of the Common Examinations and the negative effects.

“[The Common Examination] benefits are definitely [to] encourage students to be more actively involved, especially in classes such as the arts,” dance teacher Kristen Norwood said. “[Students think] ‘oh well I have an opportunity [to not be involved], there’s not a state mandated test,’ there’s not really an extra push or that drive that they really grasp everything.”

Some students feel that the Common Examination will not have any positive effects.

“I feel like [having the Common Examination for every class at the end of the semester] is just one long extended period of preparing for the test,” senior Julio Romero said. “To me it’s like as long as you pass the test, you’re golden. With the whole emphasis on test scores rather than whether or not we actually know the material at hand.”

Some teachers are concerned with how these new tests will affect their teaching style. Lyn Smith, physical education and health teacher, doesn’t believe that the Common Examination will affect her teaching style.

“The tests will not affect the teaching style that I use in the classroom, especially the way that we do so much group discussion and role playing to help students make good decisions in their adolescent years that have consequences in their futures,” Smith said. “I think teaching towards testing in Health/PE is not necessary because if you do not understand and apply the content in the Health/PE curriculum and work towards maintaining a healthier lifestyle, the outcome for a healthy long life is slim.”

The Common Examination measure a teacher’s effectiveness and makes an evaluation of that teacher’s teaching ability. This evaluation could affect teacher’s pay.

“I think that teachers, students, administrators and parents are all responsible for a child’s education and that if we all work together, our students will achieve success and live healthy,” Smith said. “I do not think teachers should be paid based on one group of students’ tests. There is more to the whole picture in making our students to become accomplished than a test. Some students that are learning in the classroom lack test-taking skills; therefore, one test will not prove how the teacher is teaching the course, which should not affect the pay of the teacher.”

One of the big issues that students have with the coming Common Examinations is the lack of exam exemptions.

“[Exam exemptions] are really still up in the air,” testing coordinator Kim-Marie Hall said.

With the lack of exam exemptions there is the question of attendance.

“People aren’t [going to] worry about coming to class as much and are just [going to] skip and not come,” junior Mikayla Pendergraph said. “I know some people, from experience, who have not come to school for days because they knew they already had to take their exam, so why worry?”

–By Morgan Yigdal