Written by Amy Noguera
It’s hard to imagine, but that time of year has come again... testing time. The Florida Standards Assessment (FSA) and the Advanced Placement exam (AP) are here. Unlike last year, all state testing and AP testing will be conducted in the physical school building.
Avoiding physical interaction with people who might have been exposed to COVID-19, maintaining social distance by keeping at least 6 feet apart from others, using a face mask, and using hand sanitizer frequently are all advised as the new safety precautions. The real question is: How do the students at MAST@FIU feel about the FSA and AP tests being around the corner, knowing they’re physically going to school to take them?
“I don’t have a problem with it at all. Testing physically helps me be in a testing area where I feel I can stay focused and escape any disruptions that I might find at home,” said sophomore Alessandro Rignanese. Juan Cepeda, another sophomore attending MAST@FIU, added, “Trouble with internet connection and problems with submitting tests would be less likely. Also, if a student has an issue with a test or exam, it can be handled much more quickly in school rather than at home.”
On February 12, 2021, at 6:06 a.m. that more than a quarter of households still don’t yet have adequate access to a computer or other mobile technologies. About a fifth of them said they don’t have secure internet access. One last sophomore, Mariafe Concha, who transitioned from being a physical student to an online student, said, “I like the fact that we are doing it physically because it feels like what testing was before COVID-19 came, aside from the use of face masks and social distancing.”
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