As the year comes to a close at FVHS, many students are scrambling to get ready for final exams. Students face a reality of final exams being worth 20% of their final grade. For some this raises the concern of how effective these assessments are at evaluating students’ performance.
High stakes exams like finals can induce a considerable amount of stress among students. Research by Sarah Wood from the department of psychology at Florida State finds that between 10% and 40% of students experience test anxiety because of finals, which can affect their performance during the testing period.
Given the potential drawbacks of heavily weighted final exams, it is in the schools best interest to re-evaluate the testing policies and weighting.
Some educational institutions are already exploring alternative assessment strategies to try and lower the level of stress students experience during exams. One such approach is known as the “two stage exam” which combines an individual test with a collaborative group project. A study by Kristina Callaghan from the department of chemical biology at Harvard has shown that this method can enhance a student’s learning ability, retention and reduce anxiety when it comes to testing.
“I really like the idea of the two stage exams, it would make me much more confident taking them,” said senior Isabelle Howard. “We already work in groups for projects, so why not bring that into the testing environment?”
“Finals being 20% of our grade puts way too much pressure on students,” said senior Saul Barbosa. “If you’re already struggling, it could ruin your semester grade even more.”
To be sure students are being assessed in a fair way, FVHS and other schools should consider updating their approach to final exams, reducing the weight of finals or incorporating alternative testing formats. A shift towards more balanced types of exams would reduce stress and also allow students to demonstrate their knowledge.