[quote]By Brianna Powell
Editorial Editor
Graphic by Drew Danko[/quote]

SAT. ACT. AP. PSAT. PARCC. The “New” SAT. It’s enough to make any sane high school student lose their cool. It makes this junior nauseous just thinking about the alphabet of standardized testing that’s on the horizon this year.

In fact, according to a study by the Council of the Great City Schools, the average American student will take 112 standardized tests from kindergarten to 12th grade. That is bubbling in the alphabet on a warm Scantron, sharpening number two pencils, and hearing the moan of a test proctor for a lovely two hours, 112 times.

I doubt you’ll find it on Web-MD, but it’s called “Testing Fatigue ”. At least that’s the name I came up when I wrote this. It’s caused by the frenzy of changes in the world of standardized testing with implementation of the magical and all knowing Common Core, the PARCC, the new SAT and most recently, Illinois’ shift to require SAT. Symptoms include frazzled administrators, constant reminders to eat a healthy breakfast, and students who write witty answers about how much they disliked the PARCC in the explanation portion. Was I even suppose to admit I did that last year? Well, I did. And I liked every bit of it.

I’m not demanding standardized testing to die a cruel cold and painful death. Although, I would not have a problem if I never had to look at a state mandated Scantron again. Let’s be honest here, nobody really likes sitting and bubbling letters for three hours. The harsh reality is that they are not going away anytime soon. Standardized testing is here to stay, taking us on a wild roller coaster ride of twist and turns with every change, revamp, and switch up. We as students deserve to have consistency with these tests. We’re the ones taking the tests, don’t we deserve to be educated on what test we are taking without inconsistent changes?

The most recent culprit of the old switcheroo: Illinois legislation that requires juniors to take the SAT instead of the ACT. In a state where only 5 percent of students take the ACT according to the a survey conducted by the College Board, we have been taught to the test since middle school, learning the ropes Scantron by Scantron. However, ACT in Illinois will be no longer be given in school starting this year, leaving prepared students in the dust to wrap their head around yet another test. It appears that we aren’t getting off this roller coaster any time soon, as several tests revamp their material to better fit Common Core and compete with each other in a Hunger Games for standardized testing supremacy.

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So as I open my dusty ACT prep book, trade it in for a new SAT prep book and pawn off my old PSAT prep book to buy the new AP US History prep book, I realize that standardized testing is as unavoidable as B.O. in the freshman locker banks. But having consistency makes it an easier load for students and teachers alike. They say variety is the spice, but in this case, some things are better left unchanged.