Many students hate public exams in their Level 3 courses and wonder why they have to write them. Although some students experience test anxiety and find it hard to prepare, I believe public exams are a good thing. They force students to take the courses seriously, they force teachers to teach to a standard, and they create a level playing field for all students. For these reasons, I think Newfoundland students should continue to write Level 3 public exams. As a student, I was nervous about my public exams (Grade 11 in those days!) just as students today are. But I studied much harder for those courses and probably learned the material better. As a teacher I notice students are far less likely to skip classes if they are taking a public exam course. Knowing that they have to write a major final exam forces students to take the course more seriously. During my teaching years, I often wondered whether I was doing as good a job as other teachers in the province. I hoped that my students were learning the same material others were learning. When they did well on public exams, I knew that what I was teaching was meeting the provincial standard. Public exams helped me as a teacher because they showed me that my students were achieving at the same level as students all over the province. Public exams create a level playing field. What if a teacher dislikes a particular student or doesn't grade them fairly? In their Level 3 course, 50% of the grade comes from the public exam, so even if there's a personality conflict between the teacher and the student, the student gets half their grade from an unbiased source. This means everyone gets the same treatment. While students will probably always feel exams are unfair and too hard, as a teacher I have to say I'm totally in favour of them. I like the fact that they make students study harder, teachers teach better, and give everyone a chance to be judged in a fair and unbiased way. I have taught in other provinces without public exams, and I hope public exams continue to be part of our education system here in Newfoundland.
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