By Audrey Huynh

SAN JOSE, CALIF. — The Juniors and Seniors of Silver Creek High School took the annual CAASPP tests on the week of April 3, which resulted in an adjusted schedule affecting all students. The schedule was inconvenient for some students and favorable for others.

The California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress, more commonly known as the CAASPP tests, are standardized exams given by the state each spring. With the length of the assessments, the regular day-to-day bell schedule is disrupted. Special, adjusted schedules are therefore given, affecting all students, including those who aren’t taking the tests.

With the week before having its own adjusted schedules to accommodate the SATs and the week after being spring break, it felt like I was already on vacation. As a non-test taker, my school day started after 10 a.m., which meant that it was the perfect opportunity to sleep in and try to fix my sleep schedule. My alarm stayed off and I lounged in bed for hours after I woke up. There was no rush to get up and prepare myself for the day because of the late starts. 

As a Freshman with late schedule, I only had a total of two hours of school on some days. That meant I could wake up late, come to school for two classes, and leave in the early afternoon. It felt like a cheat week, with the minimal amount of school and the maximum amount of sleep and relaxation.

There were also many downsides of the special schedule, including confusion of which days followed which agendas. Each day had a different start and end time, which made it hard to keep track of and coordinate with my parents. My parents would confuse one day with another, almost dropping me off or picking me up late as a result. 

The late starts also meant that my parents weren’t able to drop me off because of its interference with their work. Some days, I ended up being dropped off way too early with over half an hour before my first class. The end times were also earlier than it usually is during a regular bell schedule, which meant that my parents couldn’t pick me up and had to ask someone else to.

Of the eight random Silver Creek students that didn’t take the CAASPP I spoke to, seven were satisfied with the adjusted schedule and the subsequent amount of sleep. Only one student was inconvenienced because their parents weren’t able to arrange a ride to get them to school on time. 

One Freshman said, “I’ve never been more glad for a late schedule! I only had to be on campus for two hours on Monday and Thursday and afterwards, I could go home and have the rest of the afternoon open.”

However, a Sophomore shared, “I did like sleeping in, but it was difficult for me to find a ride.”

With all the standardized tests for this school year comes the end of the 2022-23 school year. There will not be any more adjusted schedules except for finals, which are on May 30, 31, and June 1.