Are Finals Necessary?

Finals each semester are a requirement for schools all around the world. 

Although takings finals are a requirement at Lakeland High School, there is an opportunity to earn a green and gold pass. 

A green pass is when you are able to skip one final if your GPA is at least 3.333. A gold pass is when you are able to skip two finals with a GPA of 3.7 or higher. 

This opportunity to skip finals motivates students to get better grades so they do not have to take all of their finals. 

Although finals are required, most students do not enjoy finals week or preparing for finals. 

An anonymous student stated the negative effects that a student faces while preparing for finals week. 

“I do think that finals do have some benefits, but I think some teachers should do better at preparing for finals, rather than just taking two or three days before the final. Studying for finals can cause a lot of stress for students though, and it might be harder for students to handle all of the pressure.”

The anonymous student does have a gold pass, so they are able to skip two of their finals. 

“I am really glad to have a gold pass. It is definitely a lifesaver. Having the opportunity to skip two finals motivates me to do better grade-wise and try my best in class.”

However, teachers at Lakeland think that having finals is a great opportunity for students to go over what they learned in half of a year. 

Mr. Tim Gerring thinks having finals is a great opportunity for students. 

“I have always been a proponent to finals in academic classes because it is too easy for students to forget vital information. If the teacher and the class review that information at the end of the semester then I think that we are ahead of the game if we didn’t.” 

He also mentioned, “I think the gold passes are a great opportunity to motivate students, but I don’t think all classes should have the opportunity to waive the final. For example, I don’t think a class like my NNU Chemistry class is not a class final that should be skipped considering there is a test over the whole year at the end of the year.” 

Even though finals are a requirement, students and teachers have various opinions on whether finals should be required.