Students try to reach goals with Sage Test

It’s that time of year again, the dreaded Sage tests. Teachers are stressed and students are bored. Last year our students performed well very well. We managed to score above the state average. But in comparison to Nebo District schools, Salem Jr. High scored only a fraction above Payson Jr., Mt. Nebo, and Diamond Fork, and below Spanish Fork, Springville, and way behind Mapleton. We know the students at Salem Junior High are very intelligent and determined, so this news on how far behind our school is to the rest of the district is shocking. We will have to be extremely focused this year to higher our ranks and better our school in comparison to the district.

As a school we have made goals to be shooting for this upcoming sage test. In 2014 our seventh graders scored a 42% in Language Arts, 48% in Mathematics and 40% in Science. The 8th graders scored a 36% in Language Arts, 32% in Mathematics and a 41%  in Science. Finally our 2014 9th graders scored a 45% in Language Arts, 37% in Mathematics and in Science a 56%. In 2015 the students are going to try their best, realize the Sage is important and attempt to raise all percents 5% higher.

Students around the school have voiced their opinions on the tests, “I don’t like it,” Addi Martinson and Gideon Anderson agree. “It’s long and boring,” Hyrum Gunderson says. It is true that the test is lengthy but as Mrs. Huhtala, a 7th and 8th grade english teacher said, those tests help us to see quantitative data about how well students learn. While not everyone may like the tests, we should do our best to score well, because it’s an important part of deciding the material for next year.