Many high seniors worked hard for four years. Most of them maintained above average grades; some have exquisite GPAs and SAT scores, while others barely make it to graduation. But something all graduates have in common: Time. They have had more than 11 years of schooling. So, why should they be required to take an examination at the end of their high school career?
Seniors deserve to participate in commencement; they should be able to throw their caps in the air and declare themselves graduates. After years of stress and hard work, why should an exit exam determine if a student will receive a high school diploma?
Failing such an exam may threaten graduation and stop seniors from receiving an endorsed diploma. Is that fair to the student?
Some staff and students at the Ville are baffled and skeptical about the thought of a mandatory exit exam. While it is not likely to happen this school year, it is something many U.S. school districts are requiring and considering for high school graduating seniors.
Senior Mya Odom said, “An exit exam is a good idea; some students just skate through school, not working, cheating off of others, skipping classes-not learning anything; an exit exam will prove if students learned what they need to know before leaving high school.”
Class salutatorian Asianna Franklin said, “ It’s a bad idea to test seniors at the end of the year; I know, I tend to complicate things for myself when I have to take big tests; I completely clam up, which could cause me to fail.”
Currently, Florida, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Texas, and Virginia are states that administer mandatory exit exams.
Will Michigan join them? Why should our state consider an end of the year major examination for its graduates? How will students benefit from taking this exam? Or, a better question, how would such a test hinder students’ future?
Many students and staff don’t seem to be on the same page about exit exams. Graduating seniors are expecting to leave their respective high schools with a high school diploma, not a certificate of completion.
