Juniors across Metea Valley took the Illinois Science Assessment (ISA) on Wed. March 8. The test was administered to gauge the school’s overall proficiency in scientific classes like biology, chemistry, and physics. Unlike other assessments, like the SAT or ACT, the ISA score of a student can not be used by said student for college applications. For the most part, students felt apathetic to the test as a whole.

“It felt unnecessary,” junior Hardik Jain said. “If we do not get a grade or score back, it does not make sense for us to give it all our energy and attention. You could be laidback during the test and it would not harm you.”

Jain’s attitude was shared by most of the test-takers. Another junior that took the assessment, Ayush Jain, felt that there was no reason to feel strongly about the test.

“The test does not hold any weight,” Ayush Jain said. “Students do not care about it, and from how unbothered science teachers have been about it, I am guessing that they do not care, either.”

For some students, their feelings toward the test were not neutral: they were outright negative. For junior Pooja Nadiger, the test felt like a waste of time and inefficient use of everyone’s efforts.

“I thought it was useless,” Nadiger said. “I know it is supposed to measure our science abilities, but how is it supposed to do that if no one even tries? There are no stakes. Plus, having to wait for every single person to finish the section to move on to the next felt like a further waste of time.”

The test taking place on Wednesday did give faculty a chance to try out extended mustang 30s. This first extended mustang 30 took place the whole day and allowed freshmen, sophomores, and seniors to come into class and work with their teachers on grades, classwork or other issues. While most juniors felt indifferent or even adverse to the ISA, it seems that it gave an opportunity for the extended mustang 30 to take place for the first time as a trial, giving it credit where it is due.