An A+ Method

Educators are Finding Benefit in Assigning Projects in Place of Exams

Photo by Kati Hoehl on Unsplash

When students picture an end-of-the-year assessment, their heads are filled with foreboding images of silent surroundings, pencil blisters and a blank testing paper sitting in front of them. While some educators continue to use the typical sit-down exam format, others switch to a project or essay-based assessment. This switch is benefitting high schools such as Maclay School, and testing organizations are seeing the advantages as well.

All English classes at Maclay require an essay in place of a final. In upper school English teacher Lauren Fantle’s Advanced Honors English I, freshmen are writing a Rogerian, in which they must argue both sides of a topic. This method of assessment allows students to demonstrate their knowledge from the year while also learning a skill that they can use in the future.

“[The Rogerian] opens opportunities for students to dig a little deeper into an area that they’re really interested in,” Fantle said.

The College Board, the official administrator of Advanced Placement (AP) exams, recently announced that all language exams will have a modified format for the 2026-2027 school year, introducing a brand new project component. Effecting the Language and Culture courses for French, German, Italian, Spanish, Chinese and Japanese, the new free response section will now include a “Project Presentation” and “Project Q&A.” 

The new project component involves research of a pre-selected topic announced in January of the exam year. This research will allow students to develop a deeper understanding of the country and the language, and the new format reflects the ongoing shift towards more immersive assessment methods. 

However, one skill that is lacking in the use of a final project is studying. Final exams ensure that students are putting time into remembering content outside of class, therefore increasing retention skills that will prepare the students for higher level education.

While studying is an important skill, this can be accomplished in smaller increments throughout the year by way of unit tests. By the time students reach the end of the course, they want the ability to express their knowledge in a different way, and final projects grant that opportunity. Projects are also more interactive, meaning the students are approaching the content in a different, more applicable way. This, in turn, actually increases content retention.

Overall, the best form of assessment varies based on the class and the student, but projects are becoming more prominent in the learning landscape, and the benefits are undeniable.