Sidekick Speaks: Semester Exams

Prathi Tamara Sathish Kumar, Karthika Dayanand, Prakriti Srivats, and Prakruti Badarayan

December 16, 2025

The Sidekick staff designer Tareni Moorty acts out taking a semester exam at Coppell High School. The Sidekick staffers give their opinion of the effectiveness and fairness of semester exam policies. Photo illustration by Prathi Tamara Sathish Kumar.

Coppell High School reintroduced semester exams during the 2024-2025 academic year. The current policy states students must have an average of 85 or above for the semester, 3 or less absences, as well as no disciplinary actions. Additionally, students must be present on the day of the exams regardless of exemption to avoid receiving a grade of 50 on their exam. Semester exams make up 10% of the total semester grade. Read on to see what The Sidekick staffers have to say:

Prakriti Srivats - Staff Writer

“This is so pointless. Why are they even making us come to school this week?”

This is a conversation I overheard during the final week of last semester as I was reading a book, earbuds in my ear. With no music playing, I was simply relaxing and avoiding small talk. My eyes stopped in the middle of the page when I heard this, and my mind spun into a moment of confusion.

I saw no problem with the semester exam policy, which was new at the time. Among many other changes, this policy states that any student who doesn’t attend the last week of school will earn a score of 50 on their semester exam, regardless of whether they qualify for exemptions.

At a glance, this may seem forceful and unnecessary, but it emphasizes an important point that is overlooked in an academic setting: the social and emotional value of high school that we need a week to embrace.

Students should cherish the final quality moments with their friends before they’re whisked off into the holiday season for 18 days of winter break. When they’re caught between homework assignments and looming exams, they can never enjoy these moments playing cards, taking a power nap or talking with friends about the latest movie or album. Even if nothing productive happens during the final two classes, the free time also helps students ease into the relaxation and potential boredom of winter break.

Overall, the last week of school allows students to end the year with relaxation and fun, and skipping this week ends the semester abruptly.

This policy, though seemingly a nuisance, is a reminder that school is meant to be more than essays, exams and a number out of a hundred. Sometimes, it’s about playing hangman with your friends, getting lost in the book you had no time to read and making good memories to end the semester.

Prakruti Badarayan - Staff Writer

There are approximately 170 days of school a year. Students’ final semester grades are dependent on four days out of those 170 days.

Absences on the day of the semester exam results in a 50 on the test, bringing your semester grade down. The factors that determine whether a student is taking it or not are grades, absences and disciplinary records.

However, even if you meet all of these criteria, you still get a 50 on the exam if absent on exam day. Of course, this is unfair because the whole point of the semester exam criteria is to determine if a student is exempt from taking them.

Let’s say a student has a 97% and above in all classes, perfect attendance and no disciplinary records, but they still got a 50% on the semester exams due to being absent during the last week. Of course, that student meets all the expectations and does not need to take the final exams. Yet, they still received a 50% for an exam they did not even take.

Considering this, even perfect students are negatively affected by this policy. There are several valid reasons for missing school, such as a funeral, being hospitalized, mental health. Having to fail the semester because of reasons out of your control is unfair, as you never know the real reason why someone may be absent.

Additionally, it is important to attend school everyday, but punishing a student because they were sick one day of the semester exams is unjust. That student may have attended every single day of school that came before exam week, which is what is truly important. Knowing this, one absence out of their control should not define one’s academic performance. Therefore, this semester exam policy defeats the whole purpose of what school is supposed to be about.

Karthika Dayamand - Staff Designer

As the semester comes to a closing point, many students who’ve longed for a much-needed break find themselves with packed schedules of summative projects, tests and final exams.

The added pressure of semester exams can seem daunting to some, and an incentive to others. Semester exams are based on absences and grades, and the exemption can seem easier to reach for some more than others, who may instead feel grateful for an entire last week of freedom.

Although semester exams are a great incentive for students to achieve good grades and be present at school, the requirements for exemption must be changed in order to be fair to all students.

For example, the demand that all students cannot be absent for more than three days in an entire semester, no matter if it is excused, isn’t possible for some. There are a variety of valid reasons that students could be absent, and to treat those who take advantage of the system and those who have extenuating circumstances is not a motivating factor— it is just a burden.

However, semester exams can also be an incentive for students to work harder as well. The bonus of allocating an entire week to these exams means that students who are exempt can have an entire week to relax even before the break, with the added knowledge that their grades are not in jeopardy.

Semester exams have the potential to be a great motivator, if the requirements for exemption are fixed to be an achievable goal for all students.

Prathi Tamara Sathish Kumar - Staff Writer

Ever since I was young, I’ve been a sort of sickly child. I get a bad cold or fever at least three times a year. It baffles me that taking a day off to recover from such a sickness can drop my entire semester grade. For students who have chronic illnesses or other issues that require regular doctor’s visits, this situation is even worse.

It seems incredibly unfair that students are essentially punished as a result of uncontrollable factors like sickness. But this is the reality of semester exams.

The grade average policy of 85 or above makes sense as, in most situations, students can control their own grade. However, the absence policy seems more cruel.

Last year’s policy that requires three or less unexcused absences is much fairer than this year’s three or less absences in general. If semester exams are to continue, I sincerely hope that this part of the policy is revised to be fairer to students who have genuine reasons to miss school.

The principal of the issue is the root of my problem, not semester exams themselves.

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About the Contributors

Prathi Tamara Sathish Kumar, Staff Writer

Prathi Tamara Sathish Kumar is a Junior and a second year staff writer for The Sidekick. After reading the print editions of The Sidekick her freshman year, Prathi discovered an interest in being the one to weave those stories. A lifelong lover of words, she started off believing she would only be a writer; however, Prathi is now very fascinated with design, podcasts and multimedia. She loves to use different varieties of storytelling as new and exciting ways to convey information and emotion. When she’s not writing songs and stories, you can find her reading and watching rom-coms bursting with clichés or listening to a playlist full of music that would get her labeled a “basic” pop princess (with artists including Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Sabrina Carpenter and more). You can contact Prathi at [email protected] or on Instagram (@Prathi_Sathish).

Karthika Dayanand, Staff Designer

Karthika Dayanand is a junior and a second year staff designer on The Sidekick. Passionate about storytelling through art and design, The Sidekick provides her the creative freedom to expand her design skills. She loves to page design, illustrate comics, and create graphics, and is excited to see where the program takes her next. Outside of school, she is an avid Bharatanatyam dancer. You can usually find her reading a book, chatting with friends or listening to music. You can contact her at [email protected] or on instagram at (@karthikaart_).

Prakriti Srivats, Staff Writer

Prakriti Srivats is a first year staff member of The Sidekick. She has been interested in writing ever since she learned to read. When she isn’t doing an assignment for The Sidekick, you can find her listening to music, reading a book, practicing piano or guitar. You can contact her through email at [email protected].

Prakruti Badarayan, Staff Writer

Prakruti Badarayan is a sophomore and a first year staff writer for The Sidekick. She enjoys being creative with her writing and likes designing new things. When she’s not doing stuff for The Sidekick, she likes hanging out with her friends, watching TikTok, listening to music, studying or watching comfort shows like Ever After High or Never Have I Ever. You can contact her at [email protected].

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Naseeha Masood • Dec 21, 2025 at 3:40 pm

Great job everyone! Loved hearing everyone thoughts on semester exams, looking forward to more Sidekick Speaks stories.


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