BY VIRGINIA PENIAS
Working hard all semester usually pays off in the end, but with exams, your final grade is at risk. Although most students who do well in the class tend to do well on this generalized test, there have been situations where students’ grades have plummeted because of it. Suffice it to say, final exams and their fairness are debatable due to their large weight on a student’s grade.
After 18 studious weeks in school, students should be able to earn a grade that is determined by all the hard work and time they’ve put into their rigorous courses. As colleges raise their standards year after year, students should be able to count on all of the work they’ve done throughout the semester to determine their final grade, decreasing the chance of having their grades drop in an aim to make the application process a little less arduous.
Taking seven classes at a time can be exasperating, not to mention advance placement and honors courses. Exams require thorough preparation that takes a great deal of time. Since most exams are based on content attained by students throughout the semester, studying for them may be extensive. Unfortunately, all seven exams take place throughout the same week giving students’ limited time to study. If a student has a grade average of an A or a B in a certain course, and they fail the exam, the student’s grade drops.
In middle school, the student’s grades were finalized using students test, quiz, project, homework and class work grades. At the end of the quarter, whatever the grades average out to be is the grade the student got to keep for the class. Because of this, students were able to get better grades, giving them the opportunity to achieve a higher GPA, which of course, colleges take into consideration when selecting their students.
Instead of exams, I think schools should average the student’s grades from the first and second quarter of the semester, giving students their overall semester grade. It seems fair that students get the grade that they initially worked for, for so long, not a grade that was affected due to a single test.
Needless to say, it is unfair for a students’ grade to depend on a single exam. If the student worked hard to achieve the grade they receive by completing assignments and doing well on assessments, they should not have to take a final exam.
