The dreaded final exam: the most nerve-racking moment of the academic calendar. It is a single day’s work that is equivalent to an entire quarter and can make or break a year of hard work. In a modern society where high school students deal with so many different stressors, adding the pressure of a final exam is just too much.
Substituting a project for a test is becoming more popular among teachers and is a welcomed respite among students. It is an excellent way to see what the student learned over the course of the year while diluting the stress monumentally. If teachers truly want to test how well their students paid attention, it is best to give them breathing room and the ability to put more time and care into their work.
This year, only two of my classes have a test as the final. The rest are long-term projects that incorporate all of the skills and knowledge that we learned throughout the year. No students take these projects lightly because they still represent a massive grade, but they do use more time to organize their thoughts and produce the best possible output.
Final exams are rigorous, timed tests that could not possibly contain all of the year’s material. They are maybe the most efficient, but not the most effective way to test students. They are known to have you cramming until two in the morning the night before, and that is no way to measure knowledge.
Many students learn better with a hands-on approach to learning, which is exactly what a final project provides. Not everyone thrives in the traditional classroom setting with the traditional final exam. Projects give students the means to express their creativity. They also boost the scores of people who typically struggle on end-of-the-year tests.
Most importantly, final projects are an opportunity to have fun. Students can often collaborate with their peers and create projects that they are proud of. For example, in Advanced Placement Psychology we are doing a project where we need to retell a fairytale in which the traditional characters have psychological disorders. In AP United States History, we need to interview a family member about a notable historical moment that they lived through. Why not give students this chance after a year of hard work? There is no point in adding yet another stressful test to the mountain that already exists. With AP Exams, SOLs and standardized tests for college, the final exam is one too many. Let’s make this year’s finals the final final exams.
