Some schools in North Jersey dropping midterms, finals

Some schools in North Jersey dropping midterms, finals

DECEMBER 20, 2014, 11:23 PM    LAST UPDATED: SATURDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2014, 11:28 PM
BY HANNAN ADELY
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

It looked as if Wayne High School students would miss the equivalent of 30 days of new instruction this year because of tests, trips, assemblies and snow days.

So school officials did something radical; they got rid of midterm and final exams.

“Kids go to school because they enjoy learning; they want to explore and they want to learn about themselves,” said Michael Ben-David, assistant superintendent of Wayne schools. “That doesn’t come from taking [tests] that take up large chunks of the school year.”

Wayne is one of several North Jersey school districts that have dropped midterms and finals, a staple of education for as long as anyone can remember. The motive is partly to regain instruction time as standardized tests take up more days each year. But school officials say they’re also tossing out the traditional, high-stakes exams as they look at the larger issue of how to determine what students have learned.

Acting state Education Commissioner David Hespe said the decision to drop teacher-generated midterms and final exams is innovative and “makes perfect sense for districts.” All school districts in New Jersey, he noted, are already required to give end-of-course exams provided by the state, which could make midterms and finals redundant.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/some-schools-in-north-jersey-dropping-midterms-finals-1.1173233