CedarBridge Academy students will receive a full explanation of the importance of literacy and other standardised tests.

Principal Kalmar Richards disclosed this yesterday on the heels of revelations by a former CedarBridge student that the recently-released literacy test scores may have been drastically skewed because of student apathy and a general feeling that they are "a waste of time''.

In a letter to the Editor, the former student wrote that his classmates "would just shade any of the choices, making them unsuccessful on the tests''.

"Many of them felt that the test was too long, too much reading, too boring,'' he said. "The main excuse I used to hear more often is that this is not worth it because it does not go in my transcript and it does not give you credit so this is a waste of time.'' Mrs. Richards, who took over the helm of the senior school in September, told The Royal Gazette that one of her plans was to address the entire student body in a school assembly and personally impress upon them the importance of the tests.

"I will establish the rationale behind the tests, establish the importance of the exam and explain to them that it will be used as a tool to help each of them individually,'' she said.

Asked whether she thought such a move would have any impact on the students, she said: "It will make a difference. What will make the difference is that the students will hear from me, their principal: `I am expecting each one of you to perform at your optimum.' And I will explain how important the tests are to revealing their problems so that we can work on them.'' Mrs. Richards also noted her plans to include the test results in each student's record of achievement.

"If they understand why they are doing the tests,'' she said, "they will give it their best.'' The 18-year-old letter writer, who asked not to be identified, said he believed an explanation of the tests to students would greatly help.

"We don't know what these tests are for,'' he said. "No-one explains that they are important and a lot of kids feel that the test is for the teachers, that if the results are bad, then the teacher will get fired.

"I know many kids who just decided to fail on purpose so that the teacher they didn't like would get fired.'' The author of the letter also admitted to being among those who "would just shade in any of the choices''.

He complained that the tests had "too much to read''.

"They make you read all this stuff and it's so much and it's so boring,'' he said. "Once in a while I just didn't care and would shade in anything.'' The former student also revealed that a significant number of students last year either did not bother to read the test or on test days, stayed away from school altogether.

"The worst part is that many wouldn't even come to school at all,'' he said.

"In my year I had about 90 classmates and about 15 of them just didn't care and would skip school or just mark down anything.'' The Terra Nova Reading and the Stanford Diagnostic Tests are not completely multiple choice exams and have several sections where answers need to be written out.

But the former student said in these areas the papers would simply be left blank.

"A lot of papers had a lot of blank spaces,'' he recalled. "I think it would help if the importance of the exam was explained and if it counted as a grade.'' Mrs. Richards also said she intends to explain to teachers and parents the importance of the tests.

"I recognise where we are now in terms of the Terra Nova and am putting strategies into place,'' she said. "I maintain a three-pronged approach and will focus on the students, the teachers and the parents.

"Parents will be informed what the tests are and encouraged to work with us to enforce their importance,'' she added.

"In the team handbook I compiled for all teachers this summer, there are specific strategies and specific things they can do to help students increase test results.

"I am expecting much better test results this year.''