During the first couple weeks of January stress levels sky-rocket for teens in high schools across the nation. Midterms have arrived. For years prior, schools and students have questioned how effective these tests really are. During midterms and finals, stress levels are high, morale is low, and memory retention is pushed. The real question surrounding cumulative assessments is whether or not they can accurately measure the amount of knowledge a student has retained from the course. After months of learning new material and likely spending little time reviewing old units, is it beneficial to require students to regurgitate old information?
Midterms and finals were originally intended for use by college students and were later adopted by high-schools in hopes of preparing students for college. One opinion is that more testing takes away time better spent learning. Many teachers think that standardized tests, like MCAS, and summative testing, like finals, take up too much of the school year. Studies have shown that repeated cumulative testing throughout the year leads to much better memory retention than one or two cumulative tests. This concept of increased information digestion “by testing [students] several times on the same material via a series of cumulative exams throughout the term” was researched by Donald R. Bacon Ph.D. Some people think that multiple brief cumulative tests would be better than one or two long ones.
Before we jump to more testing, the well-being of the student body should first be considered. Just because students don’t like to take tests doesn’t mean midterms and finals should be abolished, but a student’s mental health is something to factor into a decision. Google Trends shows a direct correlation with final exams and searches about school stress. The Anxiety and Depression Society of America and the American Psychological Association have stated that in recent years, there has been a sharp increase in depression and anxiety in high school students. A great increase in testing has also been reported in the past decade. Coincidence? I think not.
In my opinion, midterms and finals don’t accurately assess a student’s knowledge of the course’s content. I would greatly prefer to have reviews throughout the year on cumulative information to help me absorb the content rather than finals or midterms. Having these summative tests causes students much stress and causes teachers to cram in work before the quarter ends. But alas, this article can’t stop me from having to take the midterms soon. I wish all test-takers the best of luck.