Written by Blake James

“Hey, Mr. Worrall, did everyone take the test today? I have a question about number four,” I asked. “No,” Mr. Worrall replied, “Something like seven kids haven’t taken it yet.”

RCDS states on its website that its mission is to “offer a challenging program that stimulates individuals to achieve their maximum potential.” Yet, this current program contains a significant flaw: moving tests is too easy at RCDS, and its frequency hinders students from reaching their full potential. 

Two key components of college preparation are time management and being able to function in stressful situations. Test-taking pushes students to improve both of these skills. Rye Country Day students tend to have a multitude of extracurricular commitments, all of which have one thing in common: they take up time. As a result, balancing schoolwork and other obligations can be difficult. These difficult situations push students to learn how to manage time and operate under stress. However, RCDS too often allows for an alternative where students can move academic assessments that are contributing to their stress. This easier experience might cause a better performance on a test, but unfortunately, it fails to teach students multiple essential skills. The student, who has now been left with less practice than their peers in skills that will be utilized in college, the workforce, and beyond, is the one hurt most by moving a test.

Everyone reading this article has probably moved a test at one point or another, and many of you have likely done so with perfectly justifiable circumstances. I am arguing that the system can be and has been abused, and that change is necessary. Consider an example I recently discussed with a friend. This friend had a Wildscats performance at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn the night before a big test. He was leaving at 3:30 PM from RCDS and not returning home until past 11 PM, so he had limited time to study for his test. My friend decided that the best way to make sure he could adequately prepare for both commitments was to move his test back a day. When asked if he should be allowed to move the test in those circumstances, he responded, “Yes, I should be able to get a day extension for that test.” My question is, what happened during the 2+ hours on the bus? Was his schedule truly filled up the entire day before? And the day before that, too? What were his TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat screen times in the days leading up to that test? I feel that many students have more time to study than they realize, but they don’t budget time correctly. Admittedly, this Barclays Center trip is a pretty draining activity, and studying under these conditions could be tough. It would be an overstatement to suggest my friend was abusing the system in this situation.

A better example is athletics. Many friends have cited a sports game at Hopkins or GFA as the reason for moving an assessment. I stand by my previous assertion: these students likely had more time to study than they realized, but their time management leading up to that test was ineffective. They neglected to work with stress and opted for an easier route. These students are abusing the system, and they will have to face the repercussions in the future.

Anecdotal evidence alone doesn’t necessarily confirm the magnitude of this issue; the data speaks much louder. According to a recent Crop survey posted on RCDS news, one in five students reportedly move at least 10% of their tests, and one in twenty-five move over 20%. Moving tests is more than reasonable in many circumstances. Creating a definition of what justifies moving a test is pretty difficult; any number of unique situations can necessitate some extra time before taking a test. However, the frequency at which students are moving assessments and the stories I have heard make me believe many of these tests should not have been moved. 

RCDS aims to educate, and the institution does an excellent job of creating successful individuals. Despite this, enabling the shortcut of moving tests is holding students back from being their absolute best. To progress as individuals and as a school, we must hold ourselves and each other accountable to the standards we strive to uphold.