As of this school year, Wylie ISD has made the executive decision to no longer require final exams. In previous years, students were required to take finals depending on their grades and absences. If a student had an A in a class and less than three absences, a B and less than two absences, or a C and one absence, they were exempt from the tests.
However, seeing as the final was meant to replace a student’s lowest major grade, many students who were required to take the exam chose to skip it altogether. As long as they were actually present in the exam room, their zero would automatically drop. Consequently, finals were seen as pointless, likely leading to their disappearance this school year.
“I mean, it’s weird that they’re cancelled because a lot of people depended on them to save their grades. But, I can see why they got rid of them. Nobody ever really showed up,” Simi Samuel (11) said.
Overall, many students are suffering from the decision to cancel finals. Though the majority disregarded the exams, numerous students relied on finals to improve their grades before the end of the semester.
“I’m so mad that they’re cancelled. Those finals used to come in clutch,” Benjamin Larbi Agboe (11) said.
Ultimately, while most students saw finals as pointless, many students are worried the cancellation of finals will be detrimental to their grades. Only time will tell if the cancellation of final exams will help or harm students in the long run.