School-wide tests? Already? But it’s not even finals yet…

Many students know about ISASPs, the state-wide, required tests that nobody seems to like, but what exactly are they andwhy do we take them? ISASP is an acronym that stands for  Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress. The tests were developed in collaboration with both teachers and students within the state of Iowa. According to the official ISASP website, “the assessments are aligned with the Iowa Core standards and provide a clear and accurate assessment of student learning outcomes.”  The tests measure the proficiency, readiness, and growth of students across the state of Iowa. The ISASPs comprise four main tests, Math, Reading, Language and Writing, and Science. The tests are taken by all students from 3rd through 11th grade in the spring of each year except for the science one, which is only taken by grades 5, 8, and 10. While students can take as long as they need for the test, as with most things, there is an average time taken, though the averages are mostly just given for schools to schedule times for the tests.

But the times are just averages, so there is no need to rush if a student is taking longer than an hour. ISASPs are taken in the spring, but the schools can choose when to take them as long as the dates fall within the window of March 10, 2025-May 9, 2025.

Students at WHS have many different feelings about the upcoming tests, such as junior Nathan Rhone, who will be taking the Reading, Language and Writing, and Math tests. When asked about his thoughts on standardized tests, Rhone stated, “I don’t like it, especially with the way funding works going to the schools that perform highly rather than the ones that are struggling and could actually benefit from additional funding that could in turn raise scores.” Rhone isn’t alone with his perspective and many students also think that ISASPs only real purpose is to provide funding to schools, so many view them as a waste of time. Students likely come to this conclusion because the testing time takes away from precious class time that many students could be using to learn or study. 

While there are students like Rhone, who view the tests as a waste of time, there are others like Sophomore Thea Petersen, who is taking the Reading, Language and Writing, Math, and Science tests this year. When asked about her thoughts on ISASP testing, Petersen stated, “They’re fine, I honestly kind of find them relaxing since the pressure isn’t too high and they usually mean that I’m spending most of the day doing one thing instead of having to keep up with new information and different projects and whatnot.” This is an interesting perspective as many students dislike the tests, but is an understandable conclusion as an individual student’s score is relatively unimportant and the tests can give you a break from a more difficult class. 

Overall though, the ones who truly benefit from ISASPs are the seniors. Because they don’t take ISASPs they can use their mornings to sleep in, catch up on class work, or even work on college or scholarship applications. 

Thumbnail by Falyn DeBord using Canva, graphic from the official ISASP website