High school final exams worth too much, teachers say

Cramming for finals is a fact of life for most high school students — but there is mounting pressure to relieve some of that stress for Grade 12 students.

Alberta's school boards are set to vote on a motion to reduce the weight of diploma exams from 50 per cent of a student's final grade to 30 per cent. It's a change teachers have demanded for years, and one they say will be better for students.

"It will motivate the students to work harder and really get into their studies," said Frank Bruseker, president of the Alberta Teachers' Association's Calgary chapter. "That, in turn, should help them to improve their mark on the final exam."

Diploma exams have counted for 50 per cent of a student's final grade in Alberta for three decades.

Students say the heavy weighting disregards the work they do all year in class.

"It takes away from what you do in class. Saying that the [50] per cent of your final grade depends on that exams takes away from everything you're learning in class, saying it's not actually that meaningful — as long as you spend 48 hours straight studying, smacking your face with a textbook, you'll get the answers right and you'll still pass the class. It's unnecessary," said Eric Rogers, a Grade 12 student in Calgary.

Alberta's school boards will vote on the motion at a meeting later this month.

If the motion passes, the Alberta School Board Association says it will start calling on the province to make the change.

What do you think: are high-worth diploma exams too stressful for students? Share your thoughts in the comment section.