Pro/Con: Should teachers offer test retakes as an option for students?

Pro

By Quinn Levin / Staff Reporter

Tests can make or break a student’s final grade. Luckily, many teachers offer retakes, allowing students to set their own standards of success, learn time management skills and relearn the subject matter to better understand it.

Teachers who don’t take students’ lives into account force them to conform to a rigid standard that doesn’t work for all: one that defines achievement by numbers, not effort or thought. Allowing students to retake tests can help students define their own criteria for success. A student taking many AP classes might see a C- on a test as the best they can do, but a student taking grade-level classes could see less than a B+ as not being their best. When teachers trust their students to decide the right time and place for a test retake, they empower students to take ownership of their academic success.  

Some say test retakes tend to promote weak time management skills for students; however, failing is a vital part of the learning process. Students trying a new study method should not be penalized if it isn’t successful and earns them an unwanted grade; rather, they should be encouraged. Allowing students to retake tests shows them it’s okay to fail, as long as they fail forward and learn from the experience. 

Sometimes the material simply doesn’t click the first time. Outside of school, there are situations where people relearn the skills to fully understand. Teaching students it’s okay to not be perfect right away is an essential life lesson that is better learned early. Letting students retry at a test allows them to relearn the material and ultimately understand it better than before. 

Test retakes teach incredibly valuable lessons such as setting realistic and attainable standards of success, effective time management skills and increased understanding of the material. Teachers who allow students to retake tests teach them it’s okay to fail if they’re willing to put in the effort and learn from their mistakes. Otherwise, school simply wouldn’t prepare students for their adult life.

Con

By Caroline Baldwin / Staff Reporter

Test retakes have been used by educators to improve students’ grades and understanding of lessons. Some teachers at the high school offer this opportunity, but offering test retakes can hurt the learning environment and harm students’ study habits.

Many students have taken tests without studying, as managing one’s time can be difficult when taking multiple challenging classes. However, once retakes are introduced, students’ willingness to study plummets. This reduces the motivation of the class to succeed, as there is always the comfort of a redo. 

Many would argue that retakes are beneficial to students’ mental health, as tests can induce anxiety. Having multiple assignments each day can be incredibly stressful, so offering retakes could ease the minds of anxious students in the building. 

While this is true, even if retakes are offered, tests are still going to be stressful. Anxiety-provoking assignments are inevitable in education, but there are ways to combat this stress. Students can reach out for help, attend office hours or connect with a tutor rather than relying on reassessment to boost test grades. 

Not only does this support short-term learning for that unit, but practicing test prep will benefit students in life. Retakes are not an option in college or professional work, so when given to students, it can hinder their work ethic. It is beneficial for adolescents to learn how to study from the support of teachers and peers instead of depending on retakes.

Arguably, retakes can contribute to a better understanding of a lesson. A student can go through their mistakes, correct them and learn from them. However, the same result can be achieved through other means. For example, teachers can review commonly missed questions with the class to promote a better overall understanding in the classroom instead of allowing retakes.

Offering test retakes to students reduces study motivation, resulting in poor work ethic. In addition, it creates an unrealistic expectation that all teachers will offer them in the future, making the transition from high school to college far more difficult.