Papers clutter desks, various textbooks stacked on top of each other, the bright light of the computer stings tired eyes. This is the life of an AP student.
A student’s life suddenly becomes fifty percent harder–tests, papers, homework, everything is doubled when you sign up for AP classes. And this work load only gets larger around the holidays.
It seems to many AP students that around midterm exam time their teachers pile on extra work in addition to studying for AP and non-AP exams. Senior Emily Partrich agrees.
“Usually around Christmas my workload doubles with projects, reading assignments, and having to study for exams. It’s too much at one time,” said Partrich.
Students understand that their teachers are only trying to prepare them for the final exam, but the amount of work is overwhelming. In response to the major workload, an idea has arisen in the minds of many AP seniors: get rid of AP midterm exams.
It is a senior right to exempt exams in the spring, but that is not possible if you take AP exams because you have to take them to receive AP credit. It almost seems as if seniors are being punished, and for what? Challenging themselves during their senior year? It hardly seems fair. Senior Taylor Harrison agrees.
“I think midterms should be like final exams. If you have an 85 in the class, if you have an A or B in a class that is above average, you should be able to exempt. Your grade shows that you know the content,” said Harrison.
However, not everyone shares these thoughts: the teachers. They argue that midterms are necessary, especially for students taking challenging classes. The midterms act as a review; they don’t mean them as a form of punishment but instead for beneficial purposes. Senior Taylor Rister disagrees.
“The argument that midterm exams are practices for the AP exam in the spring is irrelevant; every test we take is practice for the final exam,” said Rister.
Most teachers will disagree with their students thought, and senior Ashley Graham has provided as solution that agrees with both students and teachers.
“Instead of having a midterm I think we could have an assessment that gauges our level of understanding of the course, but not have it count as a midterm grade,” said Graham.
AP seniors work hard and give one hundred percent on every assignment presented to them. They deserve the right to exempt fall AP exams. Just an idea.