As the holiday season quickly approaches, so does the season of buckling down on schoolwork, cramming into the early hours of the morning, and harboring abnormally high stress levels. These symptoms can only be a reflection of one thing: Finals. Freshmen, sophomores, juniors and some seniors have to endure this difficult time twice every school year, but is it really necessary for students who clearly understand the information already?
LHS’ current policy states that second-semester seniors may exempt from the final of any class in which they have attained a 90% percent or higher. However, this option is reserved for only seniors as a “senior privilege.” Underclassmen are excluded from this ability, no matter how hard they work in and out of school. This is not fair. Any student who has a 90% or higher in a class shouldn’t be forced to take that final.
Students who have achieved an A before finals should be able to exempt from that class’ final. They have already shown that they understand the material. Obtaining a good mark takes much more than testing. In order to get an “A” in a class, a student must demonstrate good work ethic throughout the entire semester, doing homework on a regular basis, paying attention diligently, and thoroughly understanding the material. While the studying and the final itself may reinforce the information, a high-scoring student has displayed that they already know it through consistent high marks. If the material has already been understood, taking the final could be seen as a mere waste of time.
“If I’ve worked hard all semester to get good grades that I’ve already established I can earn, why should I have to further prove that by taking a final?” junior Amanda Zhang said.
Many students are completely content with a B. But if the opportunity to opt out of a final was right in front of them, they might strive to get an A. While students may only be working harder to get out of the final test, it will still improve that student’s GPA, their knowledge and their overall performance as a student.
Exemption from even one final could be a huge stress relief. For students who do achieve the “A” after all their hard work pays off at the end of a semester, this would serve as a reward. Plus, if said final was easy for them, it would be a better option for them to be able to exempt from the final, gaining more time to study for finals that are more difficult for them, allowing them to achieve better grades and obtain more knowledge from their more complicated finals. This would prove to be a much better option for many people because, even if they wouldn’t have studied a lot for the easier classes, they wouldn’t have to spend precious hours reviewing just to keep the A.
In addition, there are many students who are proclaimed terrible test takers. While some students are just fine with taking finals, others are in a completely different boat, saying that as soon as they receive a test, they can no longer remember the material they spent hours on end studying. They end up getting poor marks despite the work they put into the test. This could be a huge blow to a student’s overall grade percentage, as the final makes up 20% of it.
For students (whether seniors, juniors, sophomores or freshmen) who do exceptionally well in their classes, finals should not be required.
Photo by K. Marhenke
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