During the Mar. 3 ACT at New Trier, loud construction noises could easily be heard from outside, prompting distraction during testing and many complaints.
“It wasn’t fair for construction to be going on during the test,” said junior Kilmer Recht. “It sounded like someone had a giant pogo stick and was jumping.”
“They should have stopped the construction because a lot of kids lose their focus when they hear noise. Especially during the reading section. It’s frustrating when you’re trying to concentrate,” said junior Ceejay Xiong.
In an email sent out to parents, the issue was addressed via a link to the New Trier website.
“Construction activities did produce a brief period of unanticipated noise during our ACT testing for juniors on Mar. 3. The noise was audible for about 15 minutes in approximately 16 classrooms. We have reviewed our procedures and will no longer administer standardized tests near any construction area; much of our standardized testing will be moved to the Northfield Campus.”
The noise came from the north side of the building. The crews were working on installing concrete foundations and underground sewage and water services for the new north annex.
However, when posed with the idea of a hypothetical makeup ACT to amend for the noise caused, students were not keen about the idea.
“I don’t feel like the noise affected me too much,” said junior Ethan Wirth. “It takes a long time to study so I don’t feel like it’s worth it.”
New Trier was apologetic, and restated their commitment to making sure students were impacted as minimally as possible during the construction process.
“Our primary goal is to make sure students continue to have an excellent experience during this project, and we will continue to communicate and plan with our construction manager, faculty, staff, and parents to make sure that happens,” said the statement.
The ACT is considered a tedious and long test by most students. And as multiple students claim, it is very easy to get distracted when taking it.
“When another teacher walks in the door, which happens a few times, I always get distracted,” said Xiong.
Xiong continued, “any sort of noise breaks your focus, especially during a big test like the ACT.”
“It’s extremely easy because everyone has to focus all their cognitive ability to the test, so it’s easy to hear something and get distracted,” said Recht.
These testing shortcomings call into question the effectiveness of the impending renovations.
The referendum will take place over three summers and two school years, beginning in 2015 and concluding before the beginning of the 2017-2018 school year.
Goals of the project include building more than 25 new classrooms, replacing the heating and cooling systems with new energy-efficient ones, and including a new library.
The referendum will cause many changes to the schedule for next year.
Rosh Hashanah, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Martin Luther King Day, and Good Friday will all be regular school days for students.
The class of 2016 will graduate early, with commencement falling on May 22, while the rest of New Trier students will get out May 25.
While the referendum will bring many additions to New Trier, distractions like noise during the ACT may continue to annoy students who will not graduate before the renovations are complete to benefit from the new building.