Not all students should be required to take exams
Makenzie Boillat
Exams are tests to analyze whether or not a student has learned anything from the courses they take.
But shouldn’t there be a way out of taking them?
Throughout high school I have earned good grades but still carry the ongoing stress of having to take exams.
According to Principal Brian Wiskur, exams aren’t meant to be miserable, they are meant to prepare students for college.
“If students go throughout high school not taking an exam, they are not being prepared for college,” Wiskur said. “Seniors may be able to get out of taking exams due to going off to college and exemptions, but I truly believe freshmen, sophomores, and juniors need to take them for preparation.”
Although exams can aid in college preparation, they still cause an immense amount of stress.
The stress students face from exams also comes with side effects.
Students can get testing anxiety from the stress that is put on them when taking exams.
According to Childline, stress from exams can cause negative effects on students’ self-esteem.
Taking exams are helpful, but they can be harmful to a student’s mental heath.
Exams aren’t necessary if a student already has a good grade in a class.
Taking exams should only be required for seniors, since they may be going to college and need the preparation.
This way we would still be prepared while younger students would not have to go through the pain and misery of taking exams when they still have a few more years before they head off to college.
In some schools, students do not have to take exams if they have an 85 percent or higher in a class.
After all, if a student has good grades she must have an idea of what’s going on in her classes.
Sophomore Mariah Morris and freshman Alex Knack agree that students shouldn’t be required to take exams if they already have a good grade in that class.
We put so much work and effort into getting a good grade, and I don’t think we should have to worry about these big tests.
— Mariah Morris, sophomore
Morris said, “We put so much work and effort into getting a good grade, and I don’t think we should have to worry about these big tests. We already put in a lot of effort in to get the good grade as it is.”
Being a freshman and new to the high school, the stress of exams is new to Knack.
In middle school, Knack never experienced taking exams, let alone having to worry about them. Exams just add difficulty to the adjustment.
“If people miss a certain amount of days and they have to get a C+ or better, they should just have to pass the class,” Knack said. “They shouldn’t have to get a certain percentage on the exam.”
Although, others may argue that missing a certain amount of days would interfere with their learning, causing them to fall behind. As a result, they wouldn’t be getting the same education as the students who are active in class everyday.
According to Attendance Works, missing 18 days school has negative affects on a students academic performance.
Eighteen days is just two days a month, but it can still have an impact on a student’s grades.
School officials require students with a high amount of absences to get a certain grade on their exams because officials are required to show improvement on students’ knowledge in the class.
But the stress of having to get a certain grade is just too much on some students.
Students should not have to focus on hard exams.
Instead, they should be enjoying themselves and their high school experience.
High school students need some stress relief. Keeping a good grade in a class to be excused from taking an exam is a good solution.
Birthday: July 23, 2001
Hobbies/Interests: Cheer, going on walks, and watching Netflix.
Favorite Quote: "Nothing can dim the light that shines from within."...
Jacob Lucius • Mar 9, 2019 at 4:04 am
This one of the weakest outputs by a Kearsley community. If a kid misses 18 days of class they should only have to pass the class with a C+ but not pass an exam?? BS. Exams are easy. If you stress on easy high school exams with nothing else in the world to worry about other than your friends or what’s going on that week then SORRY. Exams are so easy, coming from someone who didn’t study and had pass to English with 78 or higher and got a 93% you need to just enjoy high school and the easy stuff you get now. Lol
Brianna Horne • Mar 9, 2019 at 4:01 am
Wonderful opinion, MacKenzie. While I see where you are coming from as other countries have completely obliterated the idea of standardized tests, I have to disagree. If you never take a single test until your senior year you won’t be nearly as prepared. In fact, it may be even more stressful as you’d have no experience in a stressful situation. Tests are stressful because you may have to recall the things you’ve learned in class weeks before. In my college classes I’ve found that if I’m in a class that doesn’t have tests I forget MUCH of the curriculum before the final. If I’m in a class that does, I recall information so much easier and tend to do better on my exams. I am so glad that I had to take exams in middle and high schools, as it’s more than prepared me for today.