Some Naperville North students say they are still waiting on delayed SAT scores after a noisy Naperville Central testing site marred the exam.
Students who took the Aug. 26 test at Naperville Central received an email from College Board acknowledging the irregularity and informing students they could either wait an additional two weeks for their scores or retest for free on Sept. 23. Students also have the option of receiving a full refund if they have a conflict with the retest date. NNHS senior Nadia Baria said the episode added more stress to her schedule.
“I personally will be waiting [now]…and taking my score because I will not be taking the SAT once again,” Baria said.
According to Naperville Central’s testing coordinator Debra Ericson, the noise was caused by Naperville Central’s marching band, who were practicing on the football field for the duration of the Aug. 26 SAT. According to NNHS senior Rachel Meikle, her proctor left the testing room to see if the noise disturbance could be stopped but was unsuccessful. Meikle thought a protest was occurring until she heard the musical scales outside her testing area.
“They did not stop. They practiced the whole time we were there until everyone left,” Meikle said.
Ericson told The North Star that test administrators attempted to stop the noise, but it was intermittent.
“We spoke to the administrator in charge, she went down to talk to the marching band and every time we made that effort, they were not playing…it wasn’t a consistent sound [disturbance],” Ericson said.
NNHS students experienced different noise levels within their testing location within Naperville Central. Select students placed towards the front of the building heard little to no noise. Test-taking students seated in the back of the building heard a marching band practice happening on the football field. Due to this, many students feel upset with what College Board has decided to do with test scores.
“I was really upset because I spent so much time studying and then spent three hours of my Saturday taking the test, for it to get voided because other people were distracted during the test,” Senior Grant Hannemann said.
Meikle said the noise problem only deepened her college testing stress.
“I really don’t want to go back to Central ever again, but I do want to give myself the best opportunity for the SAT score as possible and considering how hard it was to focus on the test, I think it’s worth it to at least try again,” Meikle said.
Ericson explains that they reserve the facility location and make the facility aware of the tests, but are unable to prevent noise disturbances coming from outside the school.
For those who decided to retake the test, College Board has announced that scores will be released about 3 weeks after the makeup test on Sept. 23.
Ron Nordman • Sep 29, 2023 at 9:58 am
What a mess! I hope they get this figured out so the students who did well that day can keep their scores and the students who were affected by the band get another chance to take the test.