3-Day Periodical Week: Optimal or Brutal?

by: Royce Alistaire L. Posadas

Starting this academic year, Divine Light Academy has implemented that periodical tests will be taken for three days instead of the usual four days. For students, this change is difficult to adjust to, since they have less time to study the tests that were moved to the week before the periodical exams week.

Since the tests are compressed into three days, the periodical test in TLE for the Grade 10 has been moved to the week with the MAPEH subjects. Periodical tests in MAPEH subjects are usually performance tasks which require some time to finish. Adding a written test, especially TLE in the week of the deadline for periodical tests in the MAPEH subjects, will decrease students’ productivity in finishing their projects because not only will they have to review for TLE, but also, they need to finish the periodical exams in Music, Arts, PE, and Health.

The 3-day periodical test has its pros and cons. Students have a shorter periodical week which means they can focus more on the discussion of the lessons before the end and start of the quarter. They can also give attention to the tests that might give them a hard time. In contrast, the week before the periodical exams would be very challenging since there are a lot of deadlines and at the same time, students also have the periodical tests in MAPEH subjects and TLE.

Students might have a hard time adjusting to the change but once we have adjusted, it is believed that it will become a more productive school year not only for the students but also for the teachers.