The End of Course Exam: for one week each year, students adjust their schedules to accommodate this test. Though not every student is required to take it, it’s fair to say that in one way or another it affects everyone.

The EOC though can actually be beneficial. Colleges don’t exactly review the scores each student receives, but teachers do and this helps students.

“The EOC makes sure we’re doing what schools are supposed to be doing,” said principal Sonny Arnel. “[Due to No Child Left Behind], every state is required to make an assessment for students to take.”

This way, teachers can review student scores and use that information to aid their classes based on their educational needs.

A common EOC myth is that schools who receive higher scores get more funding. This, Arnel says, is not true.

“Funding is not tied to your scores,” Dr. Arnel said.

It turns out the state allocates funds according to student needs. Due to the current state of the economy, this could be a reasonable way of distributing funding. Children in poorer areas with struggling families do not receive any less funding than a wealthy area with higher scores. Each district is considered equally when it comes to this.

Many students also wonder whether or not they will be forced to endure any further EOC preparation in the classroom. The answer to this: no.

“Our curriculum wouldn’t change to accommodate for more EOC preparation,” said English teacher Ms. Laurie Fay.

The school district has already constructed a certain curriculum that fits in what it considers to be a necessary amount of prep time.

“We have an ethical responsibility to show that what we teach is viable,” said Dr. Arnel.