Every year in January and June, students at Sherwood take exams for a majority of their classes. These exams will either help or hurt their grades. Most students study hours each day for their exams but some do not have to. This is because students’ quarter grades have a much greater value than that of their exams. Students that receive contrasting quarter grades do need to study in order to salvage their grades. For example, a student who received a B for the first quarter and a C for the second quarter needs to obtain a B or an A in order to keep their B. However, a student who receives two similar grades will have less incentive to study for his or her exam. For example, a student who receives two Bs can only change his or her grade by failing their exam. So these particular students only try for a D or C instead of trying to do their best. Exams should be a more important part of a students’ grade like it is in most colleges.  They should fully examine a students’ understanding of the course. These final exams should have an impact on a student’s grade because they assess what the student has learned in the class. High school is supposed to prepare students for college but the current exam system allows students to coast through exams instead of forcing them to actually understand and learn the concepts of the class.

–Arjun Singh ‘12