Junior year is difficult. Harder classes and the pressure to decide on the future forces juniors to learn to cope with the stress.

Testing is becoming a hindrance to students instead of a way to show what they know.

Juniors take the Michigan Merit Exam, or the MME, in the spring, which includes the ACT, Work Keys, and a collection of assessments in English, mathematics, science, and social studies.

If that is not enough, students who are more advanced take Advanced Placement exams during this time to try to get college credit. Students pay money to take these tests, expecting to be able to practice for them and do well.

Many classes have assessments and during all of this testing, students are attempting to keep up their grades.

A lot of pressure is put on students to do well on all of these tests.

Junior Joel Paladuk is taking the ACT prep class after school to prepare.

Paladuk said, “It’s a huge test and it’s timed. I’m not good at timed tests.”

This year the MME has changed and the assessment is now called the Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress, or M-STEP.

One big difference of this test is that it is now taken online instead of with pencil and paper. Many feel this is a movement of learning from the traditional way to one that uses technology.

A problem with this test is that school computers are limited in number, and the increased days of testing prevent students who are not taking the test from using the computers.

These tests take up school days that could be used to teach, and they disrupt the entire school’s learning process.

Mr. Paul Adas, English teacher, said the pacing of classes gets disrupted. But he said the school district must comply with the testing and allow the students time to study.

Adas said, “More classroom time is dedicated to preparing for the tests and less time to cover material.”

Paladuk would just like the testing to be broken up. He said the testing has poor placement with all of the pressure of test after test and exams after that.

Seniors have good advice for the juniors taking these tests for the first time. All seniors took part in a trial run of the new online testing last year.

Tyler Gagne, senior, took the ACT prep class and remembers the long tests from last year.

“Don’t stress yourself out,” Gagne said. “Go in relaxed and calm, and it will be a lot easier.”

Gagne hopes the juniors will do well with the new online testing. Gagne remembers the testing and thought it was difficult, and he felt pressure to do well.