Focused. The clicking of keys. The tapping of pencils. As the students use all their knowledge to answer the questions, the time ticks away. 

In January, all freshmen took the MAPS test in their English classes. MAPS stands for Measures of Academic Progress and it is not new to education. The test determines the skills of the students in reading comprehension and usually takes about two class periods to take.

Students say that it’s a boring test that has no meaning to it. 

“I would say that map testing is a bad thing,” freshmen Jayci Shaw said. “Why would we want to bore yourself with a test when the teacher could just tell him/her what we know face to face.”  

Other students realize that MAPS can provide good information. 

“I think map testing is a good thing because it shows the teachers if their students are showing progress or not,” freshmen Chloe Henderson said.

Students who have made it through the test don’t really complain about the difficulty. They just do not see the need to take so much time testing their knowledge in a class they are doing well in. 

“I think maps testing should only be done by people who are failing the class,” Henderson said. “They’re the ones who need it the most.” 

MAPS testing is not really pass or fail. It measures academic progress on a personal level. Students take it in the fall and spring semesters a total of three times. 

 “I believe that maps testing should only be done once a year,” Henderson. “There is  no need to do it more than once.”