The ACT– the cringe worthy, dreadful, looming test that is constantly hanging over the heads of defenseless high school students. For some students, however, this test can be their ticket to a fantastic university.  One specific student is Casey Ruggles (11). “I really wanna to get into a good college,” she said. Ruggles has big dreams of going into musical theater, and she hopes that her ACT score will be high enough to do so. However, Ruggles is not the only student that realizes the importance of doing well on the ACT. “It’s your whole future that like depends on one test,” said Joey Leone (10). Thankfully PN has been taking steps to prepare kids for this colossal test. The only problem is that this is the last year juniors will be taking the ACT; Michigan lawmakers have decided that next year, Michigan schools will be switching to the SAT.

Now to you underclassmen, do not freak out. It is a large change, but there are several good reasons for it. Mr. Sprow, tutor in the DLR, said, “We’re making the switch because of money. Switching to the SAT will save us about $15 million.” However, there are more factors than saving this chunk of change. Mr. Andrews, health and fitness teacher, said, “The SAT has purchased the rights for the state of Michigan to conduct the SAT test to all junior students.”

Like most things in life, there are positives and negatives to taking the SAT. In a moment of deep, metaphorical thought, Tyler Stinchcomb (11) remarked, “The ACT is like a train hitting you… The ACT is like something that wants to crush your dreams. You just gotta ‘YOLO’ through.” This intellectual analogy can work for any standardized test; these tests can be especially harmful when the format is changed from one test to another. Stinchcomb went on to say, “I think it’s stupid, ‘cause it’s change, and people don’t like change. They have all these ACT workshops, and now those are wasted.” Sprow also remarked, “ In the short term, I think it will be horrible. Most school districts have been geared toward teaching material and strategies that will help students succeed on the ACT.” Teachers, such as Mr. Dee, math teacher, disagree with these statements, claiming, “ The time won’t be wasted. Both are standardized tests so approaches will be applicable to both. Time will need to be spent to address the specific challenges that are presented by the SAT to give students a better chance to show their abilities.”

There are ups and downs to everything in life; these include standardized tests (emphasis on the “downs” for these bad boys). However, there are countless students and teachers available at PN to help driven people, such as Ruggles, attain their goals. Perhaps one day we will be watching Ruggles singing live on Broadway.