As Finals Near, New Policy Raises Questions

By Brynna Owen

Last year, AP Government held an election where student-created political parties proposed new school policies. The winning party, “The Gold Diggers,” introduced a policy that took effect this school year: any student who has an A for their semester grade does not have to take a final in that class. The goal of this change was to motivate students to work harder and improve attendance as they strive to maintain high grades. Students must also have no outstanding detentions or unresolved disciplinary issues to qualify.

As Thanksgiving break approaches and the semester ends, teachers and students have different opinions about the new final exam policy. Freshman Taylor King likes it because if she has an “A”, she doesn’t have to take a final. Junior Braxton Williams agrees and says it motivates him to keep up with his work. However, Mrs. Markham thinks that while the policy helps improve attendance, it doesn’t prepare some students for taking real finals. She’s also nervous to see how the new policy turns out.

Time will tell if the new policy has a positive effect this year.

Option of Taking a Final, If Student Has an A in Class

            Our political party believes that regarding finals, if a student has an A in the class they should be able to have the option of taking the final or not taking the final. This will help incentivize students to try harder in classes and this could also help with our attendance at school due to students wanting a good grade. This would also reward students who do try hard in classes and this would also allow those students to have good grades for the semester. There would also be the requirement that the student does not have any outstanding detentions or any other disciplinary actions that need to be resolved. One test should not account for ten to twenty percent of a student’s grade if they have proved that they know the material through their grade. 

            An example of this system is at Saint Thomas Aquinas High School uses a waiver system that exempts students from taking their finals. Under the system, students who have 86 percent or above in their classes have the option of whether or not they want to take the final. If they have a 96 percent or above, they are completely exempt from the final and don’t have the option to take it. This system also includes certain disciplinary measures to ensure accountability. For example, students are only allowed two absences, three dress code violations, six tardies, and two cell phone violations to be exempt from a final. While our party will not be doing exactly this system, this just shows that this system works for other schools.