Middle School Exams

[minniebeth]

Does your child's middle school do mid-term and final exams? My DD is in 7th grade and has them both. Mid-terms obviously material from the beginning to mid-year and finals being the whole year. I'm not opposed to the introducing them to the concept of exams and how to prepare for them/take them, but the material covered and level of difficulty is crazy ridiculous. The pressure for them is more than I really think they should have at this level. DD is studying as much as DS in HS. We have told her that we want her to try her best, and also learn how to prepare, etc. for high school, but not to stress out too much about it. But she is a conscientious student and is taking them very seriously.
There is no more time for being a kid, factor in sports and activities and wow, I'm exhausted just thinking about her schedule and pressure.

What are your experiences? Just trying to get a pulse on where other schools are at.

 

[PrincessKsMom]

Does your child's middle school do mid-term and final exams? My DD is in 7th grade and has them both. Mid-terms obviously material from the beginning to mid-year and finals being the whole year. I'm not opposed to the introducing them to the concept of exams and how to prepare for them/take them, but the material covered and level of difficulty is crazy ridiculous. The pressure for them is more than I really think they should have at this level. DD is studying as much as DS in HS. We have told her that we want her to try her best, and also learn how to prepare, etc. for high school, but not to stress out too much about it. But she is a conscientious student and is taking them very seriously.
There is no more time for being a kid, factor in sports and activities and wow, I'm exhausted just thinking about her schedule and pressure.

What are your experiences? Just trying to get a pulse on where other schools are at.

I'm sure your daughter will do fine. It's just something she'll need to get used to and it will prepare her and teach her how to allocate her time and attention. Have her study for each exam the night before, instead of trying to cram all her studying of every subject into every night. Take each exam as they come.

As for your assertion of no time for being a kid due to sports and activities, maybe it's time to curtail her other activities? How many is she signed up for? I know sports and other activities are important, but my daughter knows school always comes first. If your grades aren't maintained, you won't be able to participate in other activities. My motto is "You do what you have to do, before you do what you want to do."

 

[traviesojmt]

My DS is in 7th grade and they have exams. They do it a bit different though. At Christmas, you can exempt any elective in which you have an A average. You can also exempt one core (English, science, math and history) class if you have an A. So, they have to take at least 3 exams at Christmas. For end of the year finals, students can exempt any class in which they have an A. This is a big motivator for my son. He has straight A's so he didn't even have to go to school the last week. He was exempt for all exams. Also, in 7th and 8th grade, finals only count as 2 tests instead of a bigger percent of their grade.

 

[hereyago]

My DS is in 7th grade and they have exams. They do it a bit different though. At Christmas, you can exempt any elective in which you have an A average. You can also exempt one core (English, science, math and history) class if you have an A. So, they have to take at least 3 exams at Christmas. For end of the year finals, students can exempt any class in which they have an A. This is a big motivator for my son. He has straight A's so he didn't even have to go to school the last week. He was exempt for all exams. Also, in 7th and 8th grade, finals only count as 2 tests instead of a bigger percent of their grade.

That sounds cool. And it does sounds like a big motivator.

 

[valeriemouse]

I'm not a parent, but a middle school teacher so I thought I'd reply. Our midterms in the school I work at (a private school) are not cumulative - midterms are all material up to January and finals are material from January until the end of the year. I'm not necessarily opposed to the way other schools do it, but I like the way ours sets it up. It helps them get into the habit of preparing for big tests and having a midterm and finals schedule without making it identical to the way high schools do it and having those kids prepare for 4 or 5 huge tests that span a complete year's worth of material. I do however think it would be a mistake to cut out midterms and finals all-together. To be prepared for their future (HS, College) it really is necessary to become familiar with these type of testing settings. While its not HS, it isn't elementary school either.

OP, I can understand your frustration for your child - since they really are still children at that age

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

I guess I am opposite of some of the replies. I felt the mid-terms and finals were definetely needed in 6th. 7th. and 8th. grade. They gradually got more intense and installed proper study skills for my children. DD is graduating this year and DS is a freshman. Without this training I am sure they would have had difficulty getting the concept in 9th. grade. At our schools at least, a class in study skills is not provided during the actual school day. We have had teachers who offer their help on their own time.

H.S. is not like we all remember it. It is very tense. If your child is not ready for the exams, they will be so stressed.

 

[golfgal]

We are on a trimester system and they had midterms and finals in each trimester and then a final at the end of the school year covering all the material so some classes gave 2 finals-a trimester final and a full year final). They did a lot of review the last week of school and the kids did just fine. Some teachers would exempt kids with A's from taking the final or they could chose to take the final but it wouldn't hurt them, only help them-say they wanted to raise an A- to an A. In the grand scheme of things, middle school grades don't mean anything once they start high school.

 

[bfeller]

Both of my children, ages 25 and 22 had exams while in middle school and I at age 53 also had midterm and final exams while in the 7th and 8th grade. My exams were weighted the same as a quarter grade.

 

[java]

My 7th grader does not have midterm or final exams.

 

[Familyof4lovesDW]

I had exams when I was in middle schoool.... well it was junior high when I went. We had them after the second quarter and at the end of the year, every year starting in 7th grade. The exam scores were to determine you overall grade for the year they would average all four quarters and the 2 exams to figure out your grade. It stunk for me because I am bad at tests I would have a good grade for the quarter, but a bad grade on the exam to average an okay grade instead of a good one.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

My dd is in 7th grade and only had a final in French. Some of her other classes had project grades which were weighted heavily.

She has a business class which basically is the grade for the whole yr. They worked on a project that was due at the end. She got a 100%. She worked very hard in that class.

4th quarter is dicey since they do MAP testing and every grade counts intensely.

So far she has not had to study hard really. She has a bit of a photographic memory and what she learns, she retains. Plus test taking under pressure is one of her skills. Makes no sense since she has that perfectionist anxiety personality. You think she would buckle but she is able to step it up.

 

[PatsGirl]

DD's midterms are material learned the first 1/2 through the Xmas break and finals are the second 1/2 through year end. She seems to do just fine with this schedule. On top of that she took MCAS testing in both the fall and spring and next week will take "8th grade testing" to find out where she will be placed in science/math next year. She attends a project-based charter school and the projects themselves are much more stressful to her than the standard testings.

I agree with a pp who mentioned that school should be a priority. Sure, kids should be well-rounded but being involved in too many activities causes unnecessary stress at this age. I have always limited my kids to two activities. It also allows them to commit to those activities as well. Too many kids are not living up to the commitment necessary for the extra-ciricular choices (I know first hand that this is true of girl scouts where some of the girls cannot attend fund raisers, field trips, etc. because they have a softball game and piano practice that day, lol).

And...how about down time?

 

[CF'er]

Our middle school does the final exams at end of each semester covering that semesters material only. I know both kids had a couple of projects in lieu of finals though.

 

[Trish Bessette]

Yes my 7th grader has both midterms and final exams. In French class as well. I like how it prepares them for high school.

 

[minniebeth]

I thought that exams for middle schoolers would be a norm now, and I DO think it's a good concept to get them proficient at preparing, studying and taking exams in HS. I'm just not loving the intensity it is for the kids. I've asked other parents and they agree, there is a lot of pressure put on them with the exams.

Like valeriemouse said, they're not elementary school kids but they're not high schoolers either, they are still kids.

I do find it interesting how different schools/districts go about handling exams for midddle schools. I think it's really interesting how some with As can opt out. Definately would be a motivator for some kids.

Golfgal, I agree that in the grand scheme of things, as long as kids get a good foundation for high school, their grades won't mean all that much once they get to high school. I always tell my kids what grades I got in middle school did not affect where I am in life today.

DD does do one sport, Girl Scouts and some other activities, we did cut back on what she did this year for several reasons. She loves what she does and has a good balance and is a well rounded kid. The rest of the year is fine, but with the exam schedule and with all the busy end of the year activities, it is somewhat overwhelming for her and a lot of her classmates. We'll survive, just was curious where other schools were...

Thanks for the replies!

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

our schools normally have cumulative end of year exams. However, this year NY State moved the state exams around and they ended up being close to the end of the school year, so the school decided that was too much and called off the cumulative exams. I am glad our schools are reasonable and can be that flexible.

I tend to agree with the OP, I think it is a little soon/young. We didn't have them and it didn't seem all that necessary to prepare us for the tests in later years. As long as they are learning study skills, note taking, time management, and general test preparation ..they are doing enough.

 

[princess.chell]

I'm a high school senior now and I can honestly say having exams in middle school helped so much for high school. My middle school was the only feeder school into my high school to give us midterms and finals 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. All 100 of us from my middle school (out of a class of about 700 in high school) were so much more prepared for the tests in high school: how to study, stress, time management etc. Though we complained about taking them in middle school, looking back it helped a lot!

As for the time management part with your DD having so much to do around finals time, it won't change in high school. My brother is a sophomore and he had 5 projects due in 2 days last week and then finals started this week. I had AP tests, finals, and three papers due the first two weeks of May. Plus my brother had sports and I had work. You just learn to manage your time, prioritize what is most important each night, and how to run on very little sleep (kidding...mostly). Your daughter seems like a bright girl; she'll figure it out, even if it means a break-down or two on the way

 

[minniebeth]

princess.chell, it's good to hear a high schooler's perspective on the exams!
I know that my DS who is a freshman in HS says the same thing, and that it never slows down.
My point is that you all grow up way fast and are expected to do more and more at such a young age.

Sounds like you are an awesome student, best wishes to you!

 

[MinnieFlute]

This week of school (our last) has been "finals week." Each class is extended to 90 minutes for one day during the week and we have early release the last two days. The thing is, not every class has a final. Example: I teach band, so after our spring concert we had one scale test but the last couple of days were "Hmm, if their instrument is in their mouth, they can't talk." We just played as much stuff as possible so the kids wouldn't lose their mind! The campus is 7th and 8th graders.

 

[luvthatdisney]

In our state we have what are referred to as "E. O. G's" or End of Grade tests up through the 8th grade. These are for all "core" subjects like math, language arts, etc... They are usually held in May and our school had their first round about 2 weeks ago. Next week starts the re-testing for those that did not pass. It is a very stressful and sad time. I just hate it for the kids. We had to call an ambulance for one girl that had a panic attack (I work at a middle school) that was very scary.

These tests are standarized and have very strict rules (time limits, proctors, etc) that must be followed or it is considered a "missed administration" and sometimes the whole test has to be re-taken. Crazy! If a cell phone goes off during the test, well...its not good.

Once the kids get to high school they move to the more traditional mid-terms and final exams (EOC - end of course).

I really wish they would go back to teacher created testing and actually use the grades given during the school year more. So sad to see the kids fail the EOG when they passed the class freak out as they fear they will not pass their grade, just unneeded stress IMO.