Have No. 2 pencils ready and thinking caps on tight because standardized tests are just around the corner. For this spring semester Washington public and charter schools' students will need to be well versed in mathematics, science, English, and the newest subject to be added to the exam – sexual health.
Schools are taking the initiative to help combat the alarming statistics that contribute to the District being ranked number one in sexually transmitted diseases such as syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia as well as HIV/AIDS. The schools in the area are implementing a 50 question standardized test to examine the knowledge of students in the fifth, eighth and 10th grades within the areas of sexual health and drug use, according to the Office of the State Superintendent of Education.
This will be the first standardized test to appear in any public school across the nation that asks students about such material, according to the Washington post. The goal of the test is to gain a better understanding of what students are, and are not, informed about in the areas of sexual health and drug use.
Despite varying opinions on whether or not test students about sex, people are curious if the exam will help decrease the rate of disease transmissions in the district.
"The optimistic side of me wants to say hopefully, even if it's only a small measure, the test will help to fight against ignorance. But you're not just fighting against a lack of knowledge, you're fighting against human nature," said Wesley Ellis, social studies teacher at Howard University Middle School of Mathematics and Science. "It's a piece of the puzzle, but you have to put it all together."
African-Americans represent approximately 12 percent of the U.S. population, but account for almost half of all new HIV infections.
In 2008, African-Americans comprised over 78 percent of the total number of individuals who were diagnosed with AIDS in the District, according to the Center for Disease Control.
When asked if they believe that public schools can effectively reduce these statistics through classroom education, freshman biology majors Obinna Okani and Jasmine Blackman had different opinions.
"All children have a certain level of curiosity. But things like that have to be learned at home. It's important that families are able to talk to their children more about safe sex," Okani said.
Blackman said, "Considering how much time students spend in the classroom, they need to be tested. They need to be able to make informative decisions."
On Howard's campus, students are divided on whether or not schools should administer a test that deals with sexual health knowledge. What is a clear among Howard University students is an outrage in the alarming rates at which African-Americans and D.C. residents are contracting sexually transmitted diseases.
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