No music, bring a book, stay off of computer games, take all the time that is needed, quiet down in the hall, do your best. These words are heard four times a year- when middle school students are preparing to take the STAR test.

Many ask what the Star test is. Students often wonder what the purpose of the test is. Created by Renaissance Learning Inc.,the AR Star Test is a computer adapted test for pupils to take to review their improvement throughout the year, assessing the reader’s current grade level and total evaluation of the student’s reading level. But some students are currently experiencing some major problems with the test.

While recently taking the Star reading test, students experienced what seems to be the same test. After the test one anonymous teacher bravely asked to have a discussion on the test. This is how some felt about the test.  “ The test is dumb now because we always get the same question, this test is no longer testing our intelligence, but rather testing our memory.” explained Ryan Schlichting. Students acknowledged  that they have had the same questions for years now. Other students that have had trouble excelling in these tests don’t understand why the tests are timed. Some wonder, if their knowledge means anything less if they don’t know the answer within the forty-five second time limit.  Vanessa Peer and Ella Miller stated that, “ I guess a lot of the time, especially when I don’t understand the questions.” These tests have had lasting effects on how students feel about taking the tests, making them feel aggravated or discouraged.

The unfair advantage of Star Testing is the fact that it decides what class students will be placed in or what credits they’ll receive for high school. Some kids work slower than others or just don’t test well on computers, but may still be intelligent and/or need a different way to show their skills in reading/math classes. Taryn Blevins comments on how it “puts other students down and has an unfair advantage in class placement.” The fact of the matter is that a new testing program is needed, or the current program needs to be cut altogether. These test results often mean nothing to the students because it doesn’t affect their grade. The tests have been dulled down to variables put into a data chart. For the students who have yet to excel at these tests are nothing more than a crush to their self esteem. Why do schools continue to do this, the Huffington Post  has discovered that the majority of American high schoolers and middle schoolers are reading books at an average of a fifth grade level, thus bringing their literacy rates down. As for an attempt of motivation they have students take these tests, which unfortunately has lost it’s effect.

Another problem is that AR Star reading tests isolate the child’s academic reading level from other children and confines a student to read certain books. What that means is that the Star test categorizes kids into different reading levels, from grade 1 to 12.  A child may really like a book, but AR Star does not support the book or its series, now the child is forced to change over to a new book that may not even interest the child, just to take a test on it online.

Pearson has had many years to refine their tests, but they haven’t taken the opportunity. So for now we will keep testing, but when will students stop being their lab rats of this inadequate database?