Diane, I think that you missed the point. In an academic environment, does it really matter when during the course a student masters the material. If we give a mid-term test on material covered during the first part of the course and a student fails but demonstrates understanding of the same material on the final, isn't that what really matters. Unfortunately often our grading systems are designed to expect the students to master the material on our schedule instead of by the end of the course. I agree with Barry that the true test is how they can apply the knowledge gained in the classroom. Unfortunately, we have to grade them based on their performance while in the classroom and that grade should be based on what they learned, not when they learned it.