The SOLs are looming and students and staff around RCMS are feeling the effects of the dates coming sooner and sooner.
“I can sense the anxiousness and stress in the halls when (the) SOL season comes up,”said Vivi Karki, 13, a seventh-grader on the Champions team.
She is not the only one who feels the impact that SOLs make on a student’s health and ability.
“I can tell when kids start to stress out about it,” said Mr. Stephen Davis, English teacher on the Dream team.
Ms. Rachel Copeland, a school counselor for the Trailblazers and Wolves team, said teachers are also overwhelmed with the teaching load.
“Teachers are under a lot of stress when it comes to SOLs,” said Ms. Copeland. “In fact, in some counties, teachers can get a pay raise depending on how their students do on tests.”
According to Education Week, almost 80% of educators said that they feel moderate to large levels of stress for their students to do well.
This stress is caused by specific hormones in our bodies which are vital for preparing our bodies for fight-or-flight responses, and sustaining blood and blood sugar levels. These hormones are called stress hormones.
Cortisol is a stress hormone. It affects every organ in your body and therefore, it affects all of you. When people around you are stressed, it may actually lead to you feeling more stressed.
Studies from Harvard show that during testing season cortisol levels go up by 50%.
“When my friends start to get stressed around me during the SOL, I can feel it and I get more stressed, too,” said Vivi.
When the hypothalamic adrenal releases cortisol, it then affects the central nervous system. The central nervous system makes your heart rate go faster, and quickens your breathing.
One way to help with the stress is to do deep breathing since it calms your parasympathetic nervous system which also helps lower your cortisol levels.
“So many teachers tell you to just take a deep breath and continue when they sense the stress you are dealing with.” said Nora Li, 13, an eighth-grader on the Voyagers team.
That is one of the many techniques that are being taught to students with the coming up of the SOLs.
One of these techniques is sleeping more before a test.
“I always try to get a good-night’s sleep so I am more relaxed,” said Lucas Sweeney, 13, a seventh-grader on the Dream team. “I do this because it really freaks me out when the teachers start to talk in their robot-like voices.”
According to NPJ: The Science of Learning, getting enough sleep is 25% related to how well you score on a test.
The dates are coming closer and closer, and to ensure that you feel the best you can, you may want to rest more on the night before these dates.
SOL Dates:
- Reading SOL – May 7
- Math SOL – May 13
- Science SOL – May 21
Some teachers and students believe that the tests are perceived to be scarier than they truly are.
“Students are taught that these tests are ‘be all end alls,’ but in reality they’re not,” said Mr. Davis.
