Faults of the Graduation Exam
Whitney Arrington
Flomaton High School
Flomaton, Alabama
When a teacher says the dreaded words “test tomorrow,” it can usually horrify a student who cares about their grades quicker than anything else.
Now imagine having to take five tests in one week that will determine whether you get to graduate high school. Automatically the thought of failing can psych the student out right off the bat. The one thing that holds true is that you have to believe and have confidence in what you do to succeed. So, if a student walks into the room nervous and terrified of the test they are about to take, more than likely they will not be able to live up to their full potential.
Also, it doesn’t matter how smart a pupil is, because every student has at least one off day on tests where they completely bomb it. This does not mean that the student is an idiot; it just simply means that maybe they didn’t study as hard, let nerves get to them or maybe they just didn’t quite get the test. With this being said, if a teacher notices that their students didn’t do too hot on the test, they can throw the test in the garbage and let the whole class retry.
Sure, if you fail the graduation exam you can retake it, but it’s not as easy as it sounds. First, you have to deal with the embarrassment that you failed it while some of your fellow classmates did not. It’s not like you can retake it in that same week or even month either. You have to wait a year, hope that you can remember what you already now and motivate yourself to study to gain extra knowledge to pass the exam.
Students should pass this test on their own individual basis instead of them all having to meet a certain standard. Some students that are not classified as having learning disabilities still have trouble passing standardized tests such as the high school graduation exam. They still have to take the same test that the valedictorian of their grade will take. Think of how intimidating that must be for them.
Every person is smart in his or her own way. Some may be more intellectual while others maybe have a better knowledge of sports or even technology. A person’s wisdom should not be determined by a 100-question exam.
Even if a student does fairly well at taking tests, it does not mean they like doing it. Why add an extra burden on to a teenager’s life in high school? The real world will get them soon enough.