Retakes dictate the grades of nearly every high schooler in DIS. This policy, if used in good faith, provides opportunities for students to truly learn. Retakes, in a perfect world, revolve around the joy of education, not just points in Powerschool. Standards-based education experts point to evidence that proves this correct. While the chance to reattempt a summative assessment seems faultless, several students and faculty contend that guaranteed second chances encourage laziness and exploitation. Others argue that they rather present an opportunity for growth and revision. So let us delve into the root of this issue.   

At face value, retakes offer self-evident advantages. The opportunity to reattempt summative assessments helps students better understand materials they struggle with, makes cheating less likely, relieves academic stress and pressure, and allows pupils to improve their scores. Simply put, reassessments help high schoolers manage their busy schedules, GPA and studies. 

Individual circumstances differ based on the teacher policies. While most instructors only require corrections before a retake, others may expect additional exercises such as individual meetings or worksheets to demonstrate mastery. “I always make sure students turn in their test corrections. Students should also be done with any required task like missing classwork and homework before they can have a retake.” said high school science teacher Ms. Lualhati.

Though this appealing policy clearly benefits our grades, some students and teachers claim retakes encourage students to take advantage of the system’s leniency. “To be honest, I don’t really agree with this policy. As far as I know, no international school in Korea is using our current policy. Some schools have it so some students below eighty do the retake and they have a maximum score limit for the retake. I think we should think about that so it’s more fair for students who already got a good grade in the first test,” said high school Chinese teacher Mr. Zhao. 

Issues arise when overwhelmed students prioritize the second chance over the original test. Some students perceive reassessments as the last opportunity to salvage a grade and feel pressured to perform better on retakes than actual tests. “If they’re on the same day, it’s only logical. A retake – that’s your last chance to actually do it. If you did badly on the first test…that’s the only chance to get it back up,” said junior Kyle Lee. 

Some students reattempt even with acceptable grades and waste time and resources. “I don’t think students with As should retake. If they get over 90 or a 95 that means they already know the subject well or mastered the knowledge. It’s not really worth the time or energy to restart it or take it again. If they get a ninety-something, I don’t see any point of having a retake. I think we need to make some changes.” said Mr. Zhao.

Such situations undermine the purpose of the policy, which exists for those who struggled the first time to demonstrate a new understanding of a subject. Problems spring when students view reassessments solely as a tool to fix their grade. “Retaking is not about grades. It’s for the ability of the student to show that they have understood the topic and moved on. But if students think it’s just meant for grades, I don’t think that is the purpose of a retake. Then the essence of a retake is lost.” said Ms. Lualhati. 

Meanwhile, some teachers still steadfastly agree with the policy. “6-7 years ago, I was on the assessment committee where we worked to write the policy as it stands now. I think as a bare minimum, as it stands now, I think it’s really good. It allows students to know what they’re guaranteed while also allowing teachers a lot of flexibility on how they go about doing it,” said Mr. Coleman. 

Then how must DIS address this issue? An increased focus on relearning and more pre-retake work may constitute the solution. “I think one thing I can do to improve the retake policy in my classroom is have more laid out practice work that needs to be done before students can retake. Sometimes in my classroom that will be a giant deltamath assignment. It’s a lot of work but students are committed to the retake if they do it. On top of that, it’s almost like a guarantee they’ll do better because they put in so much time to study for it. Retakes should be more of a commitment for students,” said Mr. Coleman.  

Another solution may lie in remodeling the grade point average (GPA) scale. “I think students are stressed because they know that a 94 versus a 98 can make a difference in terms of their GPA. I think if we moved our GPA to some lighter scales like A,B,Cs, it would alleviate a lot of stress for students and prevent them from sometimes studying for the retake instead of the test,” added Mr. Coleman. 

While reassessments already provide countless benefits to the student body, members of DIS see room to work out the small hiccups. With a greater emphasis on learning rather than grade corrections and a rework of the GPA system, retakes can maximize their potential benefits.