Pilot project will look at whether midterm exams do more harm than good

Midterm exams may be a thing of the past for students in the Newfoundland and Labrador English School District.

Thirty-eight schools have signed up to be part of a pilot project that will test alternatives to midterm exams.

"There's been a lot of feedback over time … questioning the value of them," Lucy Warren, the associate director of education for the Avalon region, told CBC's Labrador Morning.

"While they do assess student learning, there's a lot of things that occur along with them that sometimes affect the school system and the students in a negative way."

The pilot project will last three years, she said. Participating schools made a one-year commitment to get rid of midterms, and have the option of leaving the program if it doesn't work for them.

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Missing out on teaching time

Warren said preparation for and writing of midterm exams eats up a large portion of regular class time.

Coupled with days missed because of bad weather, she said, students are missing out on a lot of learning time.

"When we do mid-year exams, it kind of halts instruction for a period of time and we think … that time can be utilized much more effectively for student learning," Warren said.

Warren says there are different ways to assess the progress and preparedness of students without putting the brakes on teaching to make way for midterms.

Students will still be required to do regular tests, quizzes and assignments, but interviews with teachers and research projects could be just as effective to determine whether students are on track, she said.

Stressed-out students

Midterm stress is also factoring into the decision to consider alternatives to the exams, said Warren. 

She said high anxiety levels experienced by students may affect their ability to learn and retain the new information around exam time.

After the three-year pilot project ends, Warren said all the data and feedback collected from the schools will be used to compare student performance, attendance and achievement levels under both systems.

If the results are in favour of the no-midterm policy, Warren said it could be implemented across the board.

"The focus really needs to be not on the exam, but about ensuring that students learn the curriculum outcomes."

Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador

With files from Bailey White