The end of the year is always an exciting time, but that almost-summer buzz is not the only thing the end of the school year is known for.

There also lingers the dreaded finals. For years and years students have become stressed  over a big test with a lot of information and a pretty significant grade. However, starting next year, Hawthorne High School will be replacing finals with quarterlies.

Quarterlies are going to be given once a marking period and will be a heavier weighed grade in comparison to the rest of the grades a student has received that marking period. Unlike finals, quarterlies can be anything from a hands-on project to writing an essay. Since I haven’t taken either test, I have a clear-minded thought to what each will bring.  

Coming from what I’ve heard, finals cause students to become very stressed and anxious about major tests with information from an entire year of learning. With final exams, comes hours of studying and preparation. Again, the exam is based upon all of the things you’ve learned over the 9 month period of the school year.  The grade can make or break your year depending on how well you perform.

On the other hand, quarterlies are solely based off of one marking period’s work, which is a lot less stressful.  The project may even allow students to be enthusiastic about completing it and excited about putting their own touch on it, rather than just putting words on paper.

To conclude, finals being replaced by quarterlies are a good thing for more reasons than one.  Hopefully, students will like with the new change in testing.