As the fall semester comes to a close, the topic of semester tests arises. Semester tests are a divisive issue while some believe that they are pointless, and others believe that they are necessary. The current semester test policy at Southside states that no more than three excused absences in a class qualifies a student to be exempt from semester tests. However, school business is not included as an absence. 

Some students support semester tests, and think that they are necessary. In fact, some even think that it gives students more motivation to have an in-depth understanding of the material, and actually study for their classes.

“I think that they’re good for students because they lead them to actually study and learn for their classes,” sophomore Erin Clardy said.

However, others disagree. They believe that semester tests aren’t a solution to attendance and poor grades, and that the tests are a poor decision. They believe that attendance should not be tied to an extra test as a punishment, and that it does not motivate students who already have poor grades to try harder. 

“Semester tests aren’t good because they aren’t an accurate representation of how a student is doing just because they missed three days,” sophomore Hailey Adina said.

There are also many students who are in the middle. While these students agree with the premise of semester tests in part, they disagree with either a portion or most of the policy. Many students who are in the middle agree with the semester test policy for poor grades, however disagree with there being a policy for attendance. 

“I think I agree both ways. They’re good if you need to boost your grade, but if your grade is fine, and you miss a certain amount of days, I don’t agree with it,” Winslet Spinas said.