AP spring finals are redundant, mistimed, and place unnecessary strain on students after they have already completed a comprehensive, standardized assessment. Under Loyola’s current schedule, by the time spring finals occur students will have already taken all of their AP exams, which provide a cumulative assessment of content knowledge.
Robert Gorr, the assistant principal for curriculum and innovation at Loyola, argues that mandated school finals “allow students to demonstrate mastery within the specific context of [Loyola’s] mission and the uniqueness of its curriculum.”
While Loyola argues that finals reflect the school’s unique curriculum, AP courses are fundamentally designed to align with a national standard, making additional school-specific assessments less necessary. This raises an important question: if Loyola values a unique curriculum, why rely on standardized AP courses in the first place?
Proponents of abolishing the spring final include Loyola senior Bradley Wong, who argues that removing spring finals would boost mental health. He shares that he “feels [teachers are] making us work for the sake of burning us out.” Wong offers alternatives to the traditional final, such as a project at the end of the year. He believes that a final project would reduce burnout while still giving teachers a meaningful way to assess students.
Another alternative comes from Loyola teacher and graduate, James Zucker. Zucker stated in an interview, “I would love to see us within AP classes get some kind of exam leading up to the AP exam,that would serve as our final exam while preparing students for the AP exam.”
Although Zucker believes that a pre-AP final would be best, he does understand that the administration has concerns. He cites academic integrity and student safety as major concerns.
While these concerns are valid in theory, they appear overstated in practice.
As far as student safety, the main concern is that students would have nothing to do during the final exam periods if their class does not have a final. However, the school already faces this problem, as freshman P.E. classes do not have finals. In addition, the school already provides designated areas for students to be if they finish their exam early. A practical solution would be to allow students to remain in supervised areas on campus while their peers are taking finals.
Regarding academic integrity, AP exams are trusted by colleges and universities worldwide. More than 4,000 universities around the world accept AP scores for graduation credit, which raises another question: if these institutions trust AP assessments, why shouldn’t Loyola? The widespread acceptance of AP scores by over 4,000 universities suggests that concerns about academic integrity may be less significant than assumed. AP exams are highly standardized and monitored, often more so than school finals, which makes the administration’s concerns less convincing.
Fortunately, there is a light at the end of the tunnel for Loyola students. The administration has stated they plan to stand firm on requiring spring finals, but has indicated that it would be open to evolution in the form the final takes on. Gorr stated that “In the future, a ‘final’ in an AP course might look like a portfolio defense, an original research presentation, or an interdisciplinary exhibition.”
When asked about a possible timeline, Gorr declined to respond.
While Loyola may explore alternative formats for finals, maintaining the current system risks prioritizing tradition over student well-being and meaningful assessment.
If AP exams already measure mastery, requiring a second cumulative test is not rigor, it’s redundancy.
