AKRON Blowing off test lands student in hot water

Not taking the test seriously has resulted in suspension for the teen.
AKRON (AP) -- Jake Bogdanovich's performance on a recent standardized test has earned the high school honor student some recognition he didn't bargain for.
Bogdanovich, who has a 3.8 grade-point average, admits he had no interest in the test designed to measure the success of an academic program at Garfield High School.
"I didn't want to be there," the 18-year-old senior said of the test he took last week.
What he did
So Bogdanovich did something out of character for an "A" student: On the bubble answer sheet, he made a tic-tac-toe pattern; he drew characters from the television show South Park in the short-answer section; and he took part in a coughing fit that became contagious for other students.
Now he is paying the price. Beginning today, he will serve a three-day, in-school suspension. His status with the National Honor Society is in jeopardy and he lost his position working in the school office.
"Jake decided not to take the test seriously and thought it would be OK," school Principal Rebecca Decapua said. "It wasn't."
The test at Garfield, as well as Akron's other high schools, is designed to study whether seniors at each school are performing better than the class before them. Bogdanovich was one of 100 Garfield seniors randomly picked to take the test.
He said he and a friend decided to goof off during the test, part of a national effort called "High Schools That Work."
"This had no scholarship opportunities," Bogdanovich said. "I would rather be in class."
So in response to a question about the difference in an animal and plant cell, he drew cartoon characters from South Park. In another part of the test, he wrote, "Bob Dole uses Viagra."
Reported students
After taking three minutes to fill out the last section -- which was supposed to take 25 minutes -- a teacher reported both students to Decapua's office after both said they did not try.
Bogdanovich's 17-year-old friend also received an in-school suspension.
Jake's mother, Pamela Bogdanovich, said she's unhappy with her son, who works 30 hours a week in a Walgreens and will begin a pre-pharmacy program at the University of Toledo in August.
"His wings are going to be clipped a little," she said.
Still, she thinks the punishment is too stiff, and she plans to fight any move to remove him from the National Honor Society. She said school leaders should have done a better job of explaining how important the test was.
"I think this was blown way out of proportion to begin with," she said.
Decapua said the test is an important gauge of whether the school is improving as part of the reform. If students do not improve, funding from the program could be in jeopardy, she said.
"Students need to recognize it isn't always about yourself," Decapua said.