Due to a request from the Student Senate, and based upon poll results, the Manhasset High School will return the Midterm Week. Midterms will be cumulative exams for each course and take place the week of January 22, 2017. Previously, Regents exams or other final exams were counted as 20% of students’ grades. Now with the Midterm Week in effect, midterms will count as 10% of the student’s final grades, leaving the other 10% for final examinations.

The Midterm Week is a positive attribute to Manhasset students, and will help them this school year. The decision for the return of Midterm Week was due to numerous complaints from students about the stress of taking midterms one period and then returning to other classes the period after. Students found that other teachers were still giving homework and they were overwhelmed by the amount of work they had, in addition to the strenuous studying.

A recent study done by NPR Radio proves that multitasking causes a kind of brownout in the brain. The radio station explained that there is not enough power to go around. Therefore, the brain starts shutting down, hindering its ability to perform at its highest. This evidence explains the stress on Manhasset students as they multitask completing homework and studying.

With the Midterm Week in effect, students will be able to focus on one topic and devote enough time to make sure they completely understand the topics. As a result, students’ grades will be positively affected, since their comprehension will be enhanced, and the grade will be weighted heavier.

The cumulative aspect of the midterm exams will also be beneficial to the students. A recent study done by psychologists proves that students who received cumulative exams throughout the year, as opposed to those who did not, received higher grades when tested 18 months later on solely content.  Cumulative exams are the best option for long-term retention, which is beneficial to students when preparing for the final examinations. Manhasset students will be grateful for this, since they will not be overwhelmed when studying in June for the Regents. The study material from Midterms will be useful to preparing, as well as students will be certain on what they need clarification on, based upon what they got wrong on the Midterms.

Manhasset student’s acceptance of the Midterm Week will take time, since most have not observed the positive outcomes. Students should begin reviewing old material on weekends, and clarifying any misunderstood information in order to completely take advantage of the Midterm Week system. The Midterm Week will be a positive addition to the Manhasset High School testing system.