Applegarth Middle School takes steps to decrease distractions, increase student awareness.
By: Bill Greenwood
MONROE Applegarth Middle School hoped to improve its already above-average standardized test scores by taking new steps to decrease distractions and increase student awareness during standardized state tests given this past week.
The school, which scored above the state average in each section of both the Grade Eight Proficiency Assessment and the seventh-grade New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge tests last year, implemented group testing and provided a free breakfast to each of its students when it conducted the tests again this week. Assistant Principal Chari Chanley said the school hopes the new measures will help students improve on the tests.
"We have overall goals always to advance ourselves," she said. "We pride ourselves on not teaching to the test. We pride ourselves on basically providing children with the foundation they need. We want our children to be successful learners, and that’s our goal."
Rather than conducting the tests in individual classrooms, as in previous years, the school set up three larger testing areas, one in its gymnasium and one each in both of its cafeterias. All of the school’s eighth-graders took the GEPA test in the gymnasium, and seventh-graders, who took the NJASK test, were split between the school’s two cafeterias.
"We wanted to remove any kind of annoyance, any type of environment that would create a kind of problem," Ms. Chanley said. "(We wanted to) put them in an environment where everybody’s just testing themselves."
Ms. Chanley said the group testing also was meant to prepare the students for future standardized tests, like the SATs or Graduate Records Examinations, that use that format.
"We’re truly giving them a little bit of experience of what it’s going to be like in their future years if they continue in academia," she said.
The school also tried to jump-start its students’ brains by serving them a free breakfast before testing began. Tables placed at the front of each testing area were stocked with a wide selection of breakfast food, including things such as muffins and to bananas and beverages such as juice and water.
"Research has proven that, basically, providing children with a nutritional breakfast and proper hydration, whether it be water or juice, helps them to be in an environment more conducive to the test," Ms. Chanley said. "We want to put the children in the right frame (of mind)."
The food was donated by local businesses Bagel Bazaar and Wawa. Ms. Chanley said Bagel Bazaar provided muffins and bagels while Wawa provided all of the water and juice. She said the PTO also pitched in, donating bananas and other fresh fruit.
"It’s just amazingly generous of the Bagel Bazaar and Wawa to be donating this," said history teacher Christine Viczoki, who read directions to the test-takers in one of the cafeterias. "In fact, I was telling the kids about it on Friday, and they were just so impressed and really surprised that there was a business that would be willing to do that for them. They actually were saying, ‘We need to write thank-you notes.’ "
Seventh-graders Victor Sorrento, Jena Pritzlass and Valentina Pannullo all said they were happy with the new testing measures, especially the breakfast.
"I think it’s good because now they’re serving us breakfast before the test so we can get energized, not be lazy when we’re taking the test," Victor said.
"They’re getting us ready for the day, and that’ll keep us energized throughout the day," Lena added.

