MHS Crier 3 7 14

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munster high school Vol. 48 / Issue 9 / March 7, 2014 / Munster High School 8808 Columbia Ave, Munster IN 46321

crier INSIDE LOOK Saturday 30/11

39/33

Sunday

Up and coming School will administer the SAT at 7:45 a.m. tomorrow. Boys’ Varsity Basketball plays tonight at Gary West at 7:00 p.m.

photo by Gabrielle Dore

Practice Problems Attending an ACT preparation class by Excel Edge, Alex Courtney, senior, works on practice problems. “It gets my brain ready

to go for the test becasue the proactive problems that we do are on the test. It gives us the edge that we need,” Alex said.

Students Stand the Test of Time

Juniors took the PSAT earlier this year, which determined if they have to take the Accuplacer test

Victoria Avina Associate Editor

Vrusha Patel Business Manager

In order to take the Accuplacer exam, Salvador Rivera, junior, had to skip first period for three days in a row. Administration will use this test as an indicator on whether a student stands academically prepared for college. The School Town of Munster mandates 10 tests; however, 9 of the tests are mandated by the State Legislators, not the school district. “We’re not assessing you to make you miserable,” Dr. Phyllis Gilworth, Director of Instructional Programs and Assessment, said. “We are assessing you to make sure you succeed.” However, Salvador disagrees with using only one test as a determining factor on college readiness. “I believe they should treat it like colleges and base it on Academic probation,” Salvador said. The state requires juniors that scored lowered than a 46 on the PSAT, or did not take the PSAT to take the Accuplacer test, according to Mr. Robert Snyder, Assistant Principal-Guidence Director. “I think students often know if they are competent in material covered in Algebra I and up to English 10, but there isn’t

an assessment that measures the second half of their high school experience,” Mr. Snyder said. “ The Accuplacer will allow students to see if they have mastered the content and skills that are taught between the ECA’s and enrolling in postsecondary institutions.” While Indiana requires juniors to take the PSAT in the fall, many students were not aware of the additional high stakes added to the tests, or the National Merit Scholarship linked to the PSAT. “I don’t think my future should be decided on one test,” Salvador said. Juniors who scored below the benchmark, less than 46 (20-45), on the PSAT in the areas of Critical Reading and Math. Juniors who have not passed their End of Course Assessments in Algebra I or English 10 and juniors who did not participate in the PSAT earlier this year during all-school testing will take the Accuplacer. “I don’t think that all of our students approached the PSAT with as much seriousness as they could have,” Mr. Synder said. “I think this will change to some degree for next year. Instead of automatically placing students in remediation, they have another chance to demonstrate proficiency. The test will also establish areas in need of improvement. These will then

be used to remediate specific skills. While both the ACT and SAT are universally accepted by most colleges, some students select one company and tend to focus their efforts toward that one test. Students should always apply themselves to whatever assessment they are taking, whether it’s Accuplacer, PSAT, PLAN, ACT, or the SAT. You never know what you are capable of accomplishing unless you truly challenge yourself. You never learn about your weaknesses unless you open yourself to that process.” Salvador, may not graduate with a core 40 diploma due to fact that he may have to take remedial classes, as well as, take the required classes needed to take to graduate with a core 40. Christina Cortez, junior, who does not do well with standardized tests, finds them unnecessary. She does not want to take remedial classes due to not doing well with standardized testing. “I can see if you don’t pass any of the ECAs and you don’t pass this test (Accuplacer), maybe you need those extra classes,” Christina said. “But, I don’t think it’s necessary.”

continued to pg. 8

Student government Blood Drive Registration March 10-11

Rowing forward

Athlete rows competitively and prepares during all seasons

page 14

DECA, a small army Munster takes around 130 students to compete at DECA State Competition

page 2

Harsh Reality

Staff member reviews performances from Battle of the Bands

page 10

Multiple talents

Students discuss the struggles and benefits of playing in multiple sports page 15

Jitter for twitter

Addiction to phone, laptops increases with smartphones and school laptops

page 9

Perfecting Perfection

Pressures of perfroming well from peers, parents, and themselves

page 7


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