As winter term exams loom nearer and nearer—and spring break seductively beckons—all of us, I’m sure, have gotten thoroughly sick of these last two anxious weeks of classes. Between history papers, English essays, art projects and Spanish tests, these so-called protected weeks barely leave students with enough time to catch their breath before hurtling into exams. Because the last weeks of a term tend to be saturated with last-minute projects and assessments, the administration has designated those these final days as “protected” so that major end-of-term assignments are not scheduled for the same date. While in theory this is an excellent idea, the structure of the protected days is rarely effective; rather, it disrupts the learning process and creates unnecessary stress for students and faculty.

The fact that every department is assigned a specific testing day on which to give tests often makes teachers feel obligated to give an assessment on that day, regardless of whether or not the class is ready to take the test or if the test is in conjunction with the course curriculum. Because the teachers do not have the option of giving their tests on an alternate day, they are often forced to test in the middle of units, at a time when material is incomplete and students are unprepared. How can students fully present their grasps on subjects such as economical growth in Ming China when the class has only discussed one emperor? How can students be tested on a novel that they have not yet finished reading? An incomplete study of Sartre could drastically skew students’ views on the existentialist philosophy, and when it comes to the stress that results from incomplete mathematical reasoning, we can only say that the limit does not exist. Where a course would normally focus on a cumulative and thematic span of ideas, students must now be tested on one area only and are often not given the opportunity to embellish their ideas. Furthermore, teachers are not notified of the testing dates until halfway through the term, when most have already planned full syllabi. In an institution where information dispersal is calculated to the hour, a shift in a syllabus plan could lead to hours of frustrating work for teachers. A forced test makes life difficult for both students and teachers. In addition, it often has no value, considering its placement in the curriculum. It is often better to give no test at all. Yet, when a test is not administered, no means exist for students to express mastery of the material.

There is a loophole in the protected period that some teachers take joy in utilizing and sometimes abusing. Although tests are not permitted for classes except on their assigned day during the two-week period, no such rule applies for quizzes. Teachers can give fifteen-minute quizzes as often as they please, and some have been known to stack a series of these quizzes back to back, effectively creating a test grade. Having four quizzes in a row is far worse for students than taking one test. A test gives students a sense of mission. For the most part they know what they must study because the assessment will be a significant factor in their grade. However a fifteen-minute quiz does not invoke the same dedication, especially when students must take another assessment on the same day. Although these series of quizzes will ultimately count as a test, the fact that they are broken up decreases the students’ drive for optimum performance. When students take tests, they are deeply focused. The same cannot be said of quizzes. It is often difficult to express mastery over the material when so little of it lies in front of you. Quizzes are tedious and do nothing to give students’ grades that much-needed end-of-term boost--yet teachers often feel they have no other option when it comes to assessing completed material.

An added source of tension to this long-lived catastrophe is the new structure of the protected days this year. Whereas in the past the days went by department, now they are tapered to each specific course. In previous years students taking two language or math courses would get slammed with two final assessments in one day. Now it is possible to have three or even four tests in a single day! Furthermore, tests that are to be given on the day that the class’s block does not meet are pushed to the following day, often at a time when they can conflict with many other assessments. Seeing as the rule that allows students to move a test or paper if they have three or more assessments still holds for protected weeks, students often must find other times to take tests outside of the class blocks. This cuts into our free time, time we would normally spend studying for the next day’s test. The new “structure” can hardly be called structured at all, for there seems neither rhyme nor reason to the choice of testing days for courses on any given day. The new scheduling for testing days sets the students up for problematic scheduling, stressful days, and sleep-deprived nights.

In general, the protective period does nothing to help students manage their many assessments, and often makes scheduling more difficult. There is a logical alternative. Instead of protected days, the administration should establish a deadline and require teachers to select a date for each test until the end of the term. That way, teachers could plan their testing dates around their courses and syllabi instead of following days dictated by outside parties. Students could understand well in advance when they would be taking each test, and if conflicts arise, they could discuss moving tests with their advisers and teachers. Since most students would have to do this anyway, it would not be an inconvenience should two teachers decide to pick the same day. It simply does not make sense to sacrifice aspects of the courses’ curriculums for a system that is ineffective, illogical, and out right flawed.

Since Choate did not have fall term exams, students have nearly double the exams to take in winter term. Students already have so many major exams to study for; they do not need two additional weeks of stress from a testing system that is inefficient. The testing dates do not accomplish anything that is not dealt with throughout the duration of every term, and they are detrimental to the student body and the physical wellbeing and sanity of students and teachers alike.