Is a final exam a good measurement of what a student has learned?

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Many of us have been there: days of cramming and maybe even pulling a few all-nighters to get through a dreaded final exam.

But are those tests the best way to gauge how much a student has learned? A number of schools are asking that question.

It’s a discussion that’s been going on for years, and has led to changes like a recent one in Alberta.

Last month, it was announced that the exams Grade 12 students in that province write for core subjects would be worth 30 per cent rather than 50 per cent, starting in September.

Charles Ungerleider teaches the sociology of education at UBC. He says the main objection is the fact that an exam is a one-time event.

“And circumstances surrounding that particular event — a poor night’s sleep, stress from other pressures in life — can affect the person’s performance.”

The issue is getting national attention. But as for whether it has gained steam, Ungerleider says it’s difficult to say.

“It probably signals the fact that this discussion has really bubbled up to receive public attention. It often has attention of parents, but it doesn’t often merit a news article, for example. And the fact that it does, in somebody’s view, probably signals that this is an issue of public policy that is worth raising for the more general public’s attention.”

Ungerleider thinks exams can be valuable, as long as they’re one of a number of ways to assess students.