To the dismay and shock of Millikan juniors, word just got out that for the first time since middle school, SBAC is back. “I knew one [high school] year it was required,” Cali Ono, a QUEST junior, said. While some students, such as Ono, were aware since middle school that juniors have to take the SBAC, many students, such as myself, were oblivious about the upcoming exam until the school broke the news via email.

I don’t think that students should be required to take the SBAC again in high school. Seeing as we have already taken the test for six years, it was a major cause of anxiety for many kids.

“I think [the SBAC] is unnecessary because it does not count towards our final grade, it isn’t helpful with college, and it adds more unnecessary stress, especially with a lot of juniors taking AP exams,” Andrea Reyes-Pineda, a QUEST junior, said.

This is going to be a hard month for juniors. Some are taking four AP classes, with those exams being in the beginning of May, and the SBAC is taking place during the last two weeks of May. That’s right – SBAC, the i-Ready, and AP exams are in the same month.

While it’s easy to focus on the reasons why students don’t want to take this exam, we also have to look at why we’re taking it in the first place. The SBAC is used to “assess the student’s progress in terms of meeting the Common Core Standards that we have,” stated Gayle Mashburn, Millikan’s head counselor. “It’s really a measurement for the state to measure the school site; like how is the school doing in preparing students and getting them to master these standards. But in terms of what it means for students…it’s not for admissions into a certain college or program, but there’s something called the EAP (Early Assessment Program)…the system basically pulls certain questions from the SBAC to create a score that they use for placement.”

This is a lot of stressful information but it isn’t as bad as it seems. You’ll have plenty of time to complete this exam and, while everyone should try their best on the SBAC, try not to stress too much about it. Take a break from studying, and hang out with friends or do something for yourself to alleviate some of the stress junior year brings.