The Return of Midterms

     `Midterms mean something different to everyone. A midway progress check for teachers and students alike, for many, they are a major cause of stress and anxiety. While there may be mixed feelings regarding the tests, the general consensus among teachers supported the return of midterms at Masterman.

For teachers, the results of midterms can be used to guide and correct skills to be used for the rest of the year: “[I use] my midterm in English to be the midway point in how I asses writing skill.” says Mr. Gilken, high school English teacher and dean. Midterm tests were canceled last year due to an inconsistency in instruction because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Teachers and students often needed to quarantine, disrupting instruction. This year, “we’ve had a much more uniform, consistent school year,” says Dr. Payne. Administration and teachers alike were ready to return to the standard, pre-pandemic testing system.

Though midterms are back, many within Masterman are challenging the approach of the tests, believing that midterms do not need to be a uniform system. “The purpose [of midterms in] math and the purpose [of midterms in] English are not the same as the purpose [of midterms] in drama,” explains Dr. Payne, opening the possibility of different formats for midterms in the future. 

This year, Masterman’s administration stressed continuity in the tests’ format across individual subjects, regardless of the teacher: “We wanted to make sure that midterms are normed, which means that no matter what teacher you have, [the tests] are very similar… we want to make sure that we are creating continuity between student experiences no matter what teacher you have,” says Ms. Lennon. While continuity may be seen as an important part of education, it can be hard for students to adapt to a different test style than what they are used to, especially for such a high-stakes exam. A teacher’s individuality is commonly reflected in their unique testing styles. Varying test formats is one result of taking classes with different teachers. In order to address this, “there is more conversation to be had about how instruction looks from teacher to teacher for the same course,” Ms. Lennon states, “we want to create a student experience that is the same [regardless of teacher].” 

In addition to the format of the exams, the new administration also considered the effect of midterm scores on students’ grades. In the final days before midterms, the administration sent out an email to the Masterman community stating that “Teachers are being asked to take student success into consideration in scoring exams, and apply curves to classes and sections where necessary. Students and families should know that a midterm cannot drop a student's overall 2nd quarter grade below 10 percentage points from its pre-exam position.” This meant that students could expect a curve, even in classes where teachers had said that there would not be one. And, that there was a limit to how much the midterm could lower a student’s grade. This is in addition to the already existing minimum three tests that teacher must have per quarter. While this might have been a breath of relief for nervous students, teachers were not informed of this decision until this email was sent out. Despite any communication difficulties, the midterm process seemed to have gone relatively smoothly, with teachers not racing to grade tests before the quarter closes. 

The next events on the horizon for students are AP tests and finals, and students are sharing their advice on preparing for such large exams. “I wish I started [studying] earlier. I wish I had collaborated with other people because I think all of it left to myself was really overwhelming. A big tip is to go out and not study at home because you will be a lot more productive than being in your house where there are so many distractions.” says Natalia Bieszczad (11-4). Queena Chen (11-4) adds to this, stating “I would have stuck to a more rigorous study schedule and concentrated on topics that I really needed to do. I realized that there some areas that I just didn’t hit in my studies.” For many students this round of examinations will serve as a guide for how to adjust for the rest of the school year, their high school careers, and college.