At the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve, resolutions were not the only commitments made. As of the 2016 semester, all high schools within the Mehlville School District are implementing Student Learning Objects, otherwise known as SLO, to track student progress.

Despite the district’s hopes for these new pre and post-tests, most teachers are frustrated and confused about the district’s plans. One of their issues is with the pre-test, which tests how well students know the new topic that they are about to learn. This is supposed to be used as a base for comparing future progress in the class.

Although this is intended to show signs of progress, many teachers question its effectiveness.

“The system will work, but is it an efficient use of our time?” asked Ms. Samantha Bhambri.

The district’s plans are not the only confusing aspect of SLO. Many teachers are confused about their instructions. They feel as though they are “changing every second” and that the system “makes no sense”.

However, some teachers are reacting in a more positive manner. These teachers feel that the tests just need more time in order to improve. Therefore their idea is that since the tests are new to teachers, it will take a few tests to determine their effectiveness.

Ms. Kelsey Tunze, a science teacher, commented, “It’s hard to say…We’ve had a lot of practice, but it’s still very new.”

Hopefully with time, these confusing SLO test will result like our New Year’s resolutions….in success.