Teenagers have many pressures in school, one of them being finals. The week filled of tests in almost every class can be extremely overwhelming for many students. Because of the resulting stress and the fact that understanding the material is more important than a test score, schools should consider eliminating final exams.

In preparation for finals, students have to review information that they have learned from the beginning of August up until May. Many teachers try to cram in information in the last week or so before testing since they know it will appear in the final. The tests are all about memorization; however, schools and teachers should focus on students understanding of the materials.

Is cramming in studying and memorizing information more important than understanding the materials? This is the message schools and teachers give off by proctoring these standardized tests.

Not only is retaining information from 8 months ago unrealistic, but it causes unneeded stress.

Testing can be very time consuming and a stressful process that is causing anxiety for many students. According to a pole made by Robert Wood Jonhson Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health, “Almost 40 percent of parents say their high-schooler is experiencing a lot of stress from school. In a lot of cases this could be brought in from test anxiety.”

Also, some students scores do not correlate with how much they know. As stated by the National Institute of Mental Health, “Anxiety disorders affect an estimated 25 percent of 13- to 18-year-olds. Untreated childhood anxiety can cause children to perform poorly in school and on tests.”

Teachers could make an alternative for final exams such as a Project. A project would still do a good job testing the students knowledge on the subjects accumulated throughout the year. For example, the Hershey High School English Department has decided to give the 10th grade class a project/ reflection as a substitute for a final. This is because the teachers feel that their classes have a good grasp on topics learned during the year, and they have already had their english mandatory state testing.

To make a difference, students should contact their school administration to try to put forth a change. Contact Jeff Smith, the Hershey High School principal for our school to make a switch.