It’s that time of year again, that time shortly after Christmas break when students begin to complain – either literally or via the internet – about the dreaded midyear examinations.  Recently, the student body has rejoiced because they feel like they have won a victory:  there will be no more English midyears.  While there will be no more English midyears, a rumour has gripped Walpole High that there is a chance there will be no more midyears in any subject.  Sorry to burst the bubble of the student population, but this wild fantasy will not pan out.  While midyears are a pain, it’s a part of high school.

Without periodical cumulative reviews, what’s the point of high school?  To prepare you for college (or some other form of higher education) or for the real world.  Midyears give invaluable practice to both.  If a high school student wants to work right out of high school then midyears have given them the experience to compress the knowledge they have learned over a long period of time.   By compressing this large amount of information, the student can then access different bits of pieces of knowledge that could help them succeed in their occupation.

And for the college bound student, what is the point of midyears for them?  Midyears give the student a taste of college life – studying a large amount of material for a timed test.  Keep in mind, Walpole High, that in college there will not be PLC’s or advisories, but instead, all of your work is independent.  You go to class independently, study independently, and take exams independently.  By taking midyears in high school, a student is able to foster his/her skills in reviewing and practicing timed tests (SATs, ACTs, etc.).

The loss of the English midyear is not terrible though, and it did not come out of thin air either.  English Department Head Ms. Lauren Culliton has been pushing for no English midyears for a while.  “For years I have felt dissatisfied with the English midyear in general,” said Ms. Culliton.  Ms. Culliton felt that since English is primarily critical reading and writing, a midyear exam would not be the best way to evaluate a student’s knowledge.  “English midyears have to include essays,” said Ms. Culliton, “and the time it takes to correct all the essays, especially if the teacher has over 100 students, is insurmountable.”

So the idea of the English department not having midyears is not too radical, it makes sense for the subject.  “Most English majors in college don’t have midyears or finals,” added Ms. Culliton.  However, all of the other departments are much more content based, something that requires a comprehensive test to summarize all the knowledge a student has learned over half of the year.  Ms. Culliton said, “It’s up to every other department whether or not they choose to not have midyears.” Ms. Culliton also added that she does not disagree with the idea that midyears give.

Not to be the bearer of bad news, but midyears and finals do not end with high school.  With 92% of last year’s class going to college or a higher institution of learning, the midyears and finals students took in high school have prepared them for the same type of tests they will be seeing in college.  “I wasn’t lost on how to go about studying exams in college,” said Sabrina Dorronsoro, a 2011 graduate of Walpole High and now a freshman at Ithaca College, “because I took ones like them in high school.”

While students may hope for a school without midyear exams, they are dreaming a hopeless fantasy.  The need for a midyear in almost every other subject is still there.  “A grade in the midyear exam column provides valuable information to students, parents, and the teacher,” said finance teacher Mr. Joe Braccini.  Braccini is a strong advocate for midyears and added, “Midyears are an accurate measure that assists a student’s journey and provides an opportunity for the student to display their acquired knowledge.”

Even some students have begun to see the side effects of no English midyears.  Junior John MacDonald said, “it’s bad because now you don’t know whether the final will cover the whole year or just some.”  And yes, there will be an English final – sorry Walpole High.  Don’t worry, you’ll live, midyears aren’t that bad.  On the plus side, you get a half day for a full week.  While they are troublesome and stressful at times, the benefits of taking midyears and finals in order to assess a student’s knowledge over a period of time clearly outweigh the headaches they cause for the short term.