Each academic department at WHS has established its own practices for retake and/or correction eligibility for students on major assessments. More often than not, that eligibility is not extended to everyone, which inhibits students who get higher grades from growing in a subject. Therefore, new practices should be implemented that give everyone a second chance on big assessments.
Retake and correction policies lack consistency throughout WHS. In select STEM classes such as AP Biology and AB Calculus, students can earn back half the lost points on tests if they score below 100%. Conversely, in other classes, students are limited to a maximum original assessment score, such as a B-, and can only revise up to a grade of B. Restricting retake/revision access to lower initial grades is problematic, and the lack of consistency from department to department is also confusing for students.
“There’s no school-wide requirement that everyone handle [retakes and corrections] the same way,” English department head Kate Lemons said.
Departmental distinctions, like math tests differing from English essays, contribute to varied policies. While some courses allow students with a grade of B- or lower (82% or less) to improve to a B (83%), this policy isn’t consistent across classrooms. Such discrepancies make it difficult for students and staff alike to understand what WHS’ true values are regarding grading practices: Is the goal to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to do well enough, or that everyone has the opportunity to do the best that they can? For many, the latter is a much more sensible approach.
“Sometimes it feels unfair if I get a grade that is on the low end of non-retakable and somebody who does really poorly on the test can then retake to the same level as me,” senior James Osborn said.
Drawing a line between who can retake and who cannot is a procedure that should be eliminated, as this practice inhibits many test takers from fully learning a subject. For example, what is the difference between someone who earned an 82 and someone who earned an 83 in terms of being eligible for a re-do? One point should not be the deciding factor in whether or not a student gets the opportunity to gain full mastery of a unit before moving onward.
Another issue is that the stress of a big assessment can cause test-taking anxiety, which greatly inhibits scores for many. In fact, even the most proficient test-takers can struggle to do their best under test-taking environments. As such, receiving a passable grade on an assessment does not necessarily mean that one demonstrated their true abilities.
“There are times when I just stop functioning during a test and I’m not working up to my potential,” junior Gabriella Friel said. “The redo can reinforce the idea that I can work up to the level that I am at when I am just solving problems in class.”
Along with test anxiety issues, earning higher marks on an assessment does not necessarily mean that a student understands everything in the unit. The quickest learners can still be confused about topics after test-taking.
“My hardest subject is physics. Not because I don’t understand it; there’s just so much new material,” freshman Eva Ferris said. “I think it’s unfair to not offer a retake for everyone because if there’s something you don’t know by the time the test rolls around, [with a retake] you have the opportunity to show that you know it now.”
On the other hand, some believe that extending redo opportunities to everyone can cause students to lose motivation in school. Additionally, a B is regarded as demonstrating proficiency with assessed material, making it a standardized score that all students can achieve. Even some students admit that knowing there is a second chance can affect their preparation for assessments.
“I don’t pay attention in class as much if I know I have two chances on the test,” senior Mark Leonardo said.
This problem would not be as big of an issue if one’s original assessment held more weight in their final grade. Rather than having a cap on the scores that students can get on a redo, a possible solution might be the biology and calculus model, which offers corrections to everyone, and includes part of a student’s original score in their final grade by allowing them to earn back 50% of the points they lost on an assessment. This solves the issue of students feeling that they can afford to fail the normal test and only have to do well on the retake.
While it would be up to teachers to determine which assignments are appropriate for this model, the policy that everyone has eligibility to retake/correct should be consistent across all subjects. This would keep students motivated to be as successful as they can on assessments the first time around, while still alleviating the stress of having one chance to demonstrate their best abilities, and also being able to learn from their mistakes moving forward.
“I think grades should reflect effort. Retakes show that you care about the class and you want to do well,” freshman Jay Zhu said. “I think everyone should have that chance.”