As school starts again, students are not so eager for the lack of sleep and the return of homework. One thing students won’t have to wait long for is their first-semester report cards, which will show how their final exams affected their grades.
Some say that not much change will happen, even with extremely bad or good grades on their exams. Freshman Ingrid Ubersox argued, “I think teachers built it up to be big and scary, but when you think about it, [almost all of your grade] is from the work you did over the semester, the [10%] doesn’t matter that much.”
Biology teacher Marla Isaacs agrees while comparing it to another change that in her eyes is much greater. “I think the biggest difference was the students’ attitude towards the finals, much more than the grading. Before the break, students were aware all year long that there would be a fall exam, but this year students were not in that mindset.”
Freshman Alice Harper shares these opinions: “Since it was my first time doing it, I didn’t understand the attitude or the process. I built it up to be super hard in my head, and it wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be.”
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2019 90% of United States high schools took final exams. As of 2024, only around 75% of high schools in the country conduct them. The shift towards online learning during COVID-19 is most likely to blame for that switch. During e-learning, many high schools made grading more flexible, and classes pass/fail.
These changes made starting school again, with intensified grading and more work, much more difficult. Last semester, with the return of finals at ETHS (exactly five years after the last one), it was a new experience for many teachers and students.
Even returning teachers seem out of the finals mindset. “A lot of my teachers tried to reassure me by saying things like “it’s okay!” but only two of my teachers actually tried to help the class get ready, and gave us good materials to study with,” Ubersox stated.
When asked about his experience during finals, freshman Shawn Weiler said, “Well, one teacher gave me a final that didn’t have half of the questions, so I had to come in the next morning to finish it, which was frustrating.”
Harper on the other hand believes that her teachers were helpful during the final process, “Many of my teachers let us study during their class periods to make sure we were ready, and helped us during AM support so that we would do our best. I don’t think that I would have done nearly as much studying or done as well on my final without my teachers helping.”
Whether students and teachers are ready or not, finals are here to stay at ETHS. This year marks the revival of a finals-ready school, and it will continue for years to come.
