Board of Education testimony

Good morning. My name is Brian Stelter. I am a senior at Damascus High School, and I serve as the Secretary of MCR, the county student government organization. I am here today to address the proposed increase in the weight of final exams.

This weekend, I debated as to whether or not I should come before you today. After all, in a matter of days, first semester final exams begin across the county. And final exams are a major element of most teenager's lives.

One of the key arguments in favor of an increase in the weight of exams is the concept that students need to take the tests seriously. Well, as any student can attest, most students take these exams very seriously.

It typically begins around winter break. Students start stressing out over next month's exams. By mid-January, every student is aware of the upcoming testing period. Even a student with two A's knows that he can't bomb the test in order to receive an A on his transcript -- a fact that becomes ever more important, every semester, as college looms on the horizon.

Want to get students frustrated and mad at the school system? Mention the possibility of an exam weight increase. After mentioning this to my school SGA, the room erupted in fierce vocal opposition. The situation has repeated itself at least three times since, in classroom discussions.

An increase in the weight of exams will negatively impact the educational environment in every classroom. "Will this be on the exam?" will be a phrase heard even more often than it presently does. "Yes," will be the more likely response, since teachers will be more likely to teach solely to the test -- despite the fact that the most powerful, effective, and important moments in education often come from dialogue and experience, not curriculum guides and textbook assignments.

At December's MCR meeting, a large group of students representing many of the county's high schools agreed that "county officials should place a grater emphasis on what Montgomery County students are learning, not on how students test." Students would like to see improvements to classroom instruction -- modifications to curriculum content -- and a more equitable grading system for all students -- these factors should be addressed, in the hopes of improving day-to-day instruction in classrooms. This would put a greater emphasis on what we are learning, rather than how we are assessed.

Is assessment necessary? Absolutely. Data is essential to identifying in which areas students are not performing adequately. Are tests important? Without a doubt. But let us not sacrifice the magic and significantly decrease the importance of in-class instruction and discussion that should be taking place each and every school day. On behalf of students across this county, I say: do not raise the weight of exams.

Thank you for your attention.