On Thursday, March 11, at 7:45 a.m., Staples sophomores were scheduled to take their final CAPT test- Interdisciplinary Writing Session III, a supplemental test. Other students would not come in until 10:20 a.m., when first period was to start.
However, at 10:45 a.m. on Wednesday, March 10, the Staples High School administration discovered that they did not have enough tests.
Though Staples had received the 48 boxes which carry the test booklets some weeks before, some boxes were not full.
At 12:58 p.m., assistant principal Patrick Micinilio, who is in charge of CAPT logistics, sent out an email to the faculty detailing the administration’s plan- the final day of testing would be pushed back a week, from March 11 to March 18.
The March 11 school day will follow a normal Thursday schedule, while the March 18 school day will follow the modified CAPT schedule planned for the 11th.
This schedule change was met with apprehension by teachers.
“It certainly throws everything off,” Social Studies teacher Eric Mongirdas said. In Mongirdas’ AP US History class, several student debates on Franklin Delano Roosevelt will be “indefinitely postponed.”
“We’re not pushing the AP Exam back, and World War II is looming,” Mongirdas said. “When we get snafus like this we just have to deal with it.”
Social Studies teacher Suzanne Kammerman also experienced difficulties with the new schedule. In her AP US Government class, a simulation planned to teach the class about bureaucracy will be pushed back so far that students will take the bureaucracy test after the simulation.
“It certainly forces me to change my planning,” Kammerman said. “But part of teaching is constantly adapting to change your curriculum.”
The complaints of Kammerman and Mongirdas stem from the fact that the announcement of the schedule change came on such short notice. Micinilio explained that this year, there were several problems with the shipment of test booklets.
Usually, Measurement Incorporated sends the CAPT booklets to Staples a week before February vacation begins. However, due to the inclement weather and school cancellation that Staples faced during that week preceding vacation, the booklets did not arrive until the day before break.
Because of mandated procedure, it is not possible for Staples to get the tests themselves.
“We have to call the state and they have to send a special delivery,” Micinilio said. Micinilio also asked the state if students had to take Interdisciplinary Writing III, given the fact that it was a supplemental test.
“They said absolutely yes,” Micinilio said.
