It’s April, and you know what that means! Statewide testing, everyone’s favorite! Okay, not really. But even if it’s not preferable, it’s still pretty darn important.

“State testing is our #1 accountability system,” said Day Creek’s principal, Mr. Apodaca. The accountability system is our school’s way to follow the guidelines that the federal and state governments expect us to follow.

One of the things they expect us to do is “not only…take the test, but you have to perform at a certain (level),” said Apodaca. If we follow the guidelines, the federal and state governments support our school.

“(They) say, sure we’ll give you money, but you have to do these things,” explained Apodaca. “If (we)  underperform…(our school will be) taken over by the state.”

Besides keeping our school from being taken over, statewide testing also helps future students know that this is a great school to come to.

“Those scores, among a couple of other things…are what is presented to the community,” said Mr. Apodaca. “One of the number one things that parents look for when they move into a community is how good are the schools. They go on to the internet and they look, and what do they look at? They look at their test scores.”

But for the students who are already here, state testing is a big way for Day Creek’s staff to see if we are succeeding or not.

“It give us a non-biased outside view of how students are doing. It drives our instruction…it drives our school, it drives pretty much everything in education,” said Mr. Apodaca. “It always goes back to the state scores.”

State testing affects a lot of things, but with good preparation and the right mindset, this important test might not seem so ardous.

At the end, how can you ease your mind from this test?

“Do your best…get a good rest, eat a good breakfast,” said Apodaca.