Spring brings a time of newborn life, blooming flowers, fresh love and, of course, the SAT 10. This three-hour per day test is presented to underclassmen to evaluate learning over the last nine months.

In Alysa Muznyís article, ìSAT 10 challenges, evaluatesî, some students and teachers found the test helpful and very important. While I find that the test has noble efforts, the overall effect of the evaluation is taking place at the wrong time.

It is almost like a slap in the face to make students come in and take a test evaluating everything that they should have learned this late in the spring. This test does not affect the pupilís overall grade or their college applications; itís only purpose is to let them know what they have, or have not, learned in relation to expected levels set by the distributors.

The evaluation is also a chance for teachers to learn what they should add to their curriculum for next year. Did you catch that? Next year. The students taking the exam have no way to learn from what they are told they should know.

The testing could positively impact students if it was held earlier in the year. If the teachers had time to make changes to the classí current curriculum during that year, the student would be given a change to learn the things they missed on the tests.

I truly believe that this test has good intentions by letting teachers know what they need to be teaching and what students need to know, but having it held late in the school year brings no advantage to the student.