Schreiber students are lucky to be offered a variety of honors classes. However, the curricula of these classes need to be more formally structured. These classes should adhere to something that could potentially benefit students: SAT Subject Tests. They should adhere to these important tests, rather than be based on a curriculum decided by the teachers in the department.
These standardized tests, previously called SAT IIs and Achievement Tests, are administered by the College Board and scored on an 800-point scale, similar to each section of the SAT Reasoning Test. The majority of highly-ranked colleges and universities require two SAT Subject Tests in order to apply, and some schools even require three SAT Subject Tests.
Most honors classes fail to prepare students with either the curricular knowledge or the proper materials needed to prepare for the rigorous exams. In order to score highly on Subject Tests, students need to have a larger wealth of knowledge that most honors classes offer. This means that the science and math tests usually do not include reference tables, like the ones to which students are accustomed. While honors-level classes, like chemistry and physics, provide students with either a set of reference tables or a reference sheet with given formulas, students are expected to know more information for the SAT Subject Tests. Students need to memorize more formulas and concepts, more than are required in class.
The Schreiber Times believe that any honors class that has a coinciding SAT Subject Test should be required to prepare students for that test. In this way, students will be better prepared to take these tests and achieve high scores. This could in turn provide students with better qualifications when applying to colleges, and could result in yielding a higher reputation for the school.