Exams are a busy time for everyone, but Latin students should expect a unique assessment. Instead of spending the semester studying and reviewing past material, teachers assess them throughout the year.
Over the course of the semester, students in Latin II, III and IV complete assignments and teachers assess them on it. They translate passages and answer questions based on these readings.
“I see progress,” Elizabeth Thomas, a Latin II and IV AA Prose teacher, said. “I see that most of my students, at least 95%, are well set to finish their portfolio work and do a great job on their exam grade, which is their portfolio grade.”
While students in these classes do not have to take a full exam, there is still an expectation to complete a minor assessment.
“On exam day, they do more work either on readings or passages they haven’t seen yet,” Thomas said. “At the end of the first quarter, they also had some passages they hadn’t seen before that they did work on, and all that goes into portfolios for the Latin [IV] Honors Prose class.”
This system allows students to keep track of their progress easier, as a portfolio grade accurately reflects the strides they have made in the class.
“[The students] have been happy to hear about the portfolios,” Thomas said.
Even though it can be said that students have an easier workload with portfolios, some still prefer the classic exam. According to this argument, students would have more time to prepare, allowing them to retain more information following the exam.
“I don’t love exams, except I like that you prepare and that you have to be fully committed,” Charlotte Lauer, ‘28, said. “I like that you’re given a lot of time to study for yourself because the portfolio is just work throughout the year, which is kind of sprung upon you.”
Even though a portfolio has a less abrupt assessment, the amount of work in regards to the portfolio and the exam is equal.
“We used to give traditional exams with 150 multiple-choice questions,” Thomas said. “It didn’t really reflect all that we were doing. It is really important for our students to be able to read Latin and understand Latin. The portfolios show that more than the traditional exams do.”