Reflections on having our standardized final exam (NYS – FLACS) cancelled:

I haven’t always had respect for final exams. Are they a real indicator of mastery in my class? Are they gate keepers?

This year, unlike my previous 13 teaching Spanish to 8th Graders, we did not have a final exam.

Surprisingly, I really missed it.

Why missed having a final:

  1. They were a nice way to pull the year together – I keep a visual of the units we cover on my walls. The kids were always amazed at how much we learned together when we reflected on it and prepared for the cumulative exam.
  2. They helped me review the topics I didn’t teach well, or needed to re-teach (based on unit exams and student feedback).
  3. They helped the kids retain/recall what they had previously learned. I start “Throw Back Thursdays” after February break (see blog post here). How do you keep those skills up? Practice them – not just at the last minute. It helped solidify the foundation they need for the next level.
  4. They created a sense of TEAM with urgency. The kids and I were gonna work hard together to defeat the final exam! A crew of nervous students often spent many lunches and after schools with me practicing and studying for the “big exam”. I loved that special time with them.
  5. They gave me data about my teaching deficiencies (depending on how solid the exam was). Did my kids struggle in a certain topic/modality? The NYS FLACS covers all modalities, which made me really thoughtful about my approach to them when planning lessons.

I could feel that we missed out on our end of the year traditions. This year feels unfinished without the chance to reflect on our learning together (I made digital feedback forms – but our in-class learning felt so distant).

Almost all this could be done without a final – review, synthesis, re-teaching, but what would be missing is the sense of urgency that motivates certain kids. I love to read about grade-less systems that encourage intrinsic motivation – but for now – I work in a system that uses them. And…I missed my final.

But… not as much as I miss my kids.