Most students would agree that the three weeks between Thanksgiving and Winter Break are the most stressful time of the year. From wrapping up last-minute units to getting geared up for final exams, the end of the semester is not an easy time at school. 

However, the image of finals week has changed a lot over the past few years. While the stress of big final exams still lingers, some classes have started to veer away from the traditional cumulative tests and close the year with projects, fun activities, or simply no final at all. 

French teacher Ms. Laura Sperling, for example, prefers to conduct projects that reflect the work of her students’ semesters rather than holding a 100-minute exam. 

“I’ve never been a fan of final exams because I feel it’s an only one-day thing and if you have a bad day it can totally mess everything up,” Sperling said. “I would rather look at how someone did throughout the semester and maybe do a project or something like that to prove what they’ve learned.”

Sperling also said she finds that the process of working on a project is more effective for the student’s overall learning. 

“I think final exams are really stressful for kids. They cause students to cram and throw it out on a piece of paper where it can easily be forgotten,” Sperling said. 

Though many classes are offering more flexibility during exam week, others, mainly science and math classes, are sticking to traditional cumulative exams. 

The purpose of this balance, Principal Dr. Erin Lenart mentions, is to best prepare students for the future. 

“I think educators should continue to grow, evolve, and challenge past practices to prepare our students for our current world,” Lenart said. 

Ultimately, finals are shifting to set up students for success. While some college courses will have more relaxed, creative finals, others will still hold traditional exams. 

“It wouldn’t necessarily make sense to eliminate finals completely because we do want to give [the students] a glimpse of what that college experience might be like,” Counselor Ms. Molly Lamick said. “I think teachers should have the flexibility to give students a final assessment and/or project that makes sense for their class and their students.”