Double A Exemption

We, the undersigned students, believe in a system of double A exemption for exams. Double A exemption is a system where a student receiving two "A's" on his quarterly report card for a course is exempt from taking the exam in that course. Such a system should be used both as a reward for students doing well in school and an added incentive for students to succeed.

Unfortunately, exams are a necessary part of academic life. Students who consistently perform at an outstanding level should not have to risk that grade by taking an exam. Under the current system, a student who receives two A's for his report card and a D or below on the exam would drop his semester grade to a B. This is not representative of the students' true effort and may simply be the result of a hard exam.

A short while ago the Board considered the issue of raising the weight of the exam grade to 30\%. This disastrous measure would further illustrate the ideal double A exemption system. A student could, under a 30\% system, go A A C and still receive a B on their report card. Under double A, the student would preserve the A without needing the extra stress of a tough exam.

For graduating seniors, this means less end-of-the-year stress and more time to focus on their upcoming college. For the rest of the school, it means that the students can concentrate their studying on subjects that trouble them or subjects that need work.

On a personal note, the author of this petition is taking 5 exams in classes that he received straight As in. The exams are going to range in difficulty from a walk in the park to a subjective exam graded to county standards that change every year. The author is frustrated by the fact that the easy exams in particular are nothing less than a meaningless burden and constitute a few hours of busy work.