This upcoming spring semester freshmen, sophomores, and juniors will be taking the STAAR test over various subjects according to their grade level. Freshmen will take Algebra on Tuesday May 2nd  and Biology on  Monday May 1st  while sophomores will take English I on Tuesday March 28th and  English II on Thursday March 30th, and juniors will be tested on U.S History on Wednesday May 3rd.  

Throughout the school year, teachers have prepared students for the  STAAR test through the lessons and assignments. Their goal is to make sure students are familiar with the information that will be provided on the test. Certain grade-levels will take multiple STAAR tests and may be a bit overwhelmed or nervous about taking these intimidating tests. Freshman D’Mikal White-Netherly expresses how he feels about taking multiple STAAR tests this spring semester.

“Content because, we take it every year and I feel pretty prepared. And because we take it every year I have a great idea of what might be on there”, Netherly said.

STAAR testing can be quite overwhelming to some students and the pressure can really distract a student’s state of mind while taking STAAR or any test they are given. Sophomore Kaitlyn Nguyen has her own way to  ease the pressure before the test and while taking STAAR.

“Study more and don’t overthink it because the STAAR test is just another test that’s for the state. It’s not that much harder than any other test,” Nguyen said.

There are additional ways you could become well prepared and learn tips that could benefit you while taking the test. Testing director Kyle Sanchez knows that students can succeed if they tap into the resources available to them .

“There’s additional enrichment for students such as the TEA website where you can access previous tests and older test questions,” Sanchez said. “Also, there are teachers who are assigned to specific subjects know as CIC’s such as Michelle Smith, Melissa Montgomery, Tavares Armstrong, and Leslie Ward.”

Now that spring semester is here it’s time to get to work and study hard in any area that may prove difficult while taking the STAAR test. It is important that students are not afraid to ask for additional help if they are struggling or do not understand a particular topic in a class. Every student should take advantage of outside resources that can be used to build upon  understanding in a certain lesson. There’s still time to improve your mind and comprehension, so do not waste your time, use it to your advantage!