Island Coast cadet earns rare perfect score on U.S. history exam
An Island Coast High School student received a perfect score on his U.S. History End of Course exam taken during his junior year last year.
“I was pleasantly surprised when I got the score. It was something I could brag about. I didn’t expect it to be much of a big deal,” JROTC Cadet Battalion Commander Dezmin Goodman said. “It made me feel really good about myself, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious felt that I was capable of doing the best on some of the hardest things.”
He was one of only 28 students to score a perfect score on exam. The statewide, cumulative, test is given to sophomore, or junior students. District Spokesperson Rob Spicker said most schools schedule U.S. history for a student’s junior year, but there are a couple that schedule it for the sophomore year.
“This is my first student ever to have scored a perfect score,” Island Coast High School Social Studies teacher Christopher Burnett said. “I have been teaching U.S. history for three years now.”
He said in his opinion it is a very difficult task to get a perfect score due to the amount of information on the test.
Burnett said the way Island Coast and many schools in the district prepare for the EOC exam is by teaching, first good-test taking habits, as well as the standards and proper curriculum for U.S. history in the State of Florida.
Burnett said the exam questions included such topics as the Civil War; western expansion and Native Americans; farmers and the populist movement; industrialization; urbanization; immigration; the Progressive Era; World War I; World War II, 1954-Present; the late-20th and early-21st Century.
Although Goodman cannot recall the questions that were asked, he said he prepared for the exam by reviewing notes he took throughout the year. The exam took about 45 minutes to complete.
Now a senior, he is involved in most of the JROTC extracurricular activities, which includes Raiders, Color Guard and Drill, and previously was involved in the marksmanship and drone team.
“As battalion commander, I have the responsibility of the entire ICHS JROTC program. My current objective is the Cadet Ball, held in October. This is my fourth year being involved in JROTC, and it has helped me so very much,” Goodman said. “It has helped me mature from being a young boy to the mindset of a young man. It has helped me develop countless friendships. Most importantly, it has helped me develop as a leader.”
After graduating from Island Coast High School he wants to use the ROTC scholarship, free tuition, for college before planning on going into active duty, which will pay for medical school. His goal is to receive his PhD in pre-med and neuroscience to obtain his goal of becoming a brain surgeon.
“I think he deserves everything that comes with him getting a perfect score. He is a hard-working student with good habits inside and outside the school. His energy in the classroom is infectious and I can’t wait to see what he does in the future,” Burnett said.
To reach MEGHAN BRADBURY, please email news@breezenewspapers.com