It’s official!! FSA testing started April 6 right after spring break. No matter if you take your classes MSO or PHY, if you are a 9th or 10^th grader or an older student who did not take the FSA last year, you must return to school to take your FSA this year.

But are students thrilled with this news? Not all of them are. Freshmen Alina Chirino stated that her mental health is not very good to take this test because of a lot of problems that have been happening in her household due to Covid-19.

Math teacher Ms. Garcia elaborated, “Mental health will always be an issue.  However, given the circumstances this year, students are much more isolated. Students have also faced the death of family members due to Covid, causing trauma and absences.”

On the contrary, freshman Ashely Morales feels like she is ready to take this test. She said, “My mental health is indeed good enough to take this FSA.”

Digital information and technology teacher Mr. Aguilar also believes that kids’ mental health is good to take the FSA this year, he also thinks that if students are doing their part to learn things, they should be able to move forward.

Last year testing was cancelled due to Covid-19, so what’s holding the Florida Department of Education back from cancelling this year as well?  Junior Suraima Gutierrez says that the best option this year would be for students to automatically pass since it has been a hard year for most of us.

Alina Chirino said, “I think there shouldn’t be FSA this year because at the end of the day, we didn’t learn anything because of all the things that have happened this past and continuous year, as Covid really affected some of us.”

Ms. Garcia sees this issue differently.  “We should take the test, so that we have data, but all it is going to do is prove that everyone is performing below usual trends,” she said.

Last time I took an FSA test was 7^th grade year. Why not 8^th grade? In my mid 8^th grade year, the news about covid-19 was announced and Miami Dade students were sent home to take online classes for the rest of the year. Due to the circumstances FSA testing was cancelled since the FDOE couldn’t risk their student’s health. But know suddenly FSA is back on this year while Covid is still an issue so if students are taking the FSA this year with covid obviously still around why did they cancel last year?

Covid cases have been increasing and people are still dying; yet they want students to go back to school and take this test. What guarantee does the Florida Department of Education have that their students won’t get sick? We know teachers are taking precautions in their classes and in school, but where students would be most safe at is at home. TAKE OUT AND USE AS A SIDEBAR.

They should also keep in mind that most students are doing online school from their homes, causing distractions or daydreaming, meaning that most students haven’t even learned half of the stuff that has been taught these past 3 semesters.