CELPIP Reading Part 4 Practice Test: Requiring schools to offer stress management workshops

The growing concern over student mental health has sparked a heated debate at Riverside School District about whether to implement mandatory stress management workshops. The district's board of trustees is divided on whether to allocate resources to these new programs or maintain focus on traditional academic support services.

Dr. Sarah Chen, head of student wellness at Riverside High School, strongly advocates for implementing mandatory stress management workshops. 'We're seeing unprecedented levels of anxiety and stress among students,' Chen explains. 'Traditional academic support isn't enough anymore. Students need concrete tools to manage their mental health, especially with the increasing pressures of social media and academic competition.' Chen points to recent surveys showing that 65% of students report experiencing severe stress during exam periods.

However, James Morton, the district's academic coordinator, argues that diverting resources to stress management programs could compromise essential academic services. 'While student wellness is important, our primary mission is education,' Morton states. 'Our existing tutoring programs and academic counseling services have proven track records of helping students succeed. We shouldn't risk undermining these established support systems.' Morton suggests that current academic support services already help reduce stress by giving students the tools they need to manage their coursework effectively.

School counselor Maria Rodriguez offers a middle-ground perspective. 'This shouldn't be an either-or situation,' she argues. 'We can integrate stress management techniques into existing academic support programs.' Rodriguez has observed that students who learn both academic and stress management skills tend to perform better overall. She suggests a hybrid approach where stress management becomes part of the regular guidance curriculum rather than a separate mandatory program.

Parent Association president Thomas Wright remains skeptical of mandatory workshops. 'Parents are concerned that adding another requirement to students' already packed schedules might actually increase stress levels,' Wright says. 'Instead of mandatory programs, we should focus on making existing mental health resources more accessible to students who need them.' Wright advocates for expanding voluntary counseling services and maintaining strong academic support programs.

The main point of disagreement among the stakeholders is 1. Choose…whether students are experiencing stresshow to address student mental health needsif academic support should be eliminatedwhether social media causes student anxiety. Dr. Chen's position is supported by 2. Choose…parent feedback about the programstatistical data about student stressacademic performance improvementsreduced social media usage. James Morton's main concern about the proposed workshops is that they might 3. Choose…increase school expenses unnecessarilyreduce the effectiveness of existing servicescreate more stress for studentsrequire additional staff training. Maria Rodriguez's suggestion differs from others because it 4. Choose…completely rejects stress managementfocuses solely on academic supportproposes combining both approacheseliminates existing programs. Thomas Wright's perspective aligns most closely with 5. Choose…Dr. Chen's mandatory workshop approachMorton's focus on academic servicesRodriguez's integrated approachnone of the other perspectives.

As a former educator, I believe this debate 6. Choose…oversimplifies a complex issueexaggerates student stress levelsignores academic excellencefocuses too much on costs. While Dr. Chen makes some valid points about student stress, 7. Choose…her statistics are questionablemandatory programs might backfirestudents don't need such supportacademic support is unnecessary. The suggestion by Rodriguez to 8. Choose…eliminate all current programsfocus only on academicsblend stress management into existing servicesincrease counseling staff seems the most practical approach. However, Wright's concern about 9. Choose…program costsacademic standardsadditional student burdenstaff qualifications shouldn't be dismissed. Perhaps the real solution lies in 10. Choose…increasing the school budgetimproving existing resource accessibilityhiring more counselorsreducing academic pressure rather than debating whether to make programs mandatory.