What happens when a high-performing senior makes a point of not taking a standardized test very seriously?
Jake Bogdanovich's performance on a recent standardized test has earned the high school honor student some recognition he didn't bargain for. Bogdanovich, who has a 3.8 grade point average, admits he had no interest in the test designed to measure the success of an academic program at Garfield High School...
So Bogdanovich did something out of character for an "A" student: On the bubble answer sheet, he made a tic-tac-toe pattern; he drew characters from the television show South Park in the short answer section; and he took part in a coughing fit that became contagious for other students.
Now he is paying the price. Beginning on Monday, he will serve a three-day, in-school suspension. His status with the National Honor Society is in jeopardy and he lost his position working in the school office.
Emphasis mine. I think Jake's in trouble not just because of his artistic attempts on the test, but because he disrupted the testing environment. It's one thing to just turf on your own test; it's another thing to bother students who perhaps didn't appreciate the little "contagious" coughing fit.
The test at Garfield, as well as Akron's other high schools, is designed to study whether seniors at each school are performing better than the class before them. Bogdanovich was one of 100 Garfield seniors randomly picked to take the test...
He said he and a friend decided to goof off during the test, part of a national effort called "High Schools That Work."
"This had no scholarship opportunities," Bogdanovich said. "I would rather be in class."
So in response to a question about the difference in an animal and plant cell, he drew cartoon characters from South Park. In another part of the test, he wrote, "Bob Dole uses Viagra."
After taking three minutes to fill out the last section -- which was supposed to take 25 minutes -- a teacher reported both students to Decapua's office after both said they did not try.
I think Jake's also being punished for his attitude; he apparently thinks it's smart to state that he only makes an effort when there's something in it for him. I don't think the school is going overboard with the suspension, although officials should make the punishment for goofing off clear beforehand.
Posted by kswygert at February 9, 2004 12:21 PM