High school students will have a new schedule for finals week this semester, announced by Principal Justin Bogart last week.
Students will take their finals over the course of three days starting Dec. 15. Their seventh-hour final will be Dec. 15 after their classes. Students will return Dec. 18 for their finals in first, third and fifth hours, and Dec. 19 for second, fourth and sixth hours.
On Dec.18 and 19, students will be released early at 12:20, but they are also welcome to stick around to eat lunch between 12:20 p.m. and 12:45 p.m.
Buses will still run at their normal time. Any student who remains at school to ride the bus will have a supervised location at the high school until bus departure.
There are numerous advantages to this new finals format, Bogart said. It will spread out the tests and provide students with a break to seek additional support, study or ask questions. The new schedule also helps those with test anxiety.
“Also, for some students, the end of the semester brings anxieties related to these types of assessments, and this provides them a chance to take even more time to prepare and creates a less busy schedule for them so that they know very clearly what the next day is going to bring,” Bogart said.
Bogart also said it may encourage students to take their studies more seriously and increase expectations for rigor.
“Part of our plan was that we want to make our end-of-term assessments, whatever they look like, to rise to the level of rigor that’s appropriate for students,” Bogart said.
Having longer class periods will allow teachers to give more time to students for project presentations or assessments, he said. It also gives teachers more time to get work graded.
“The number one expectation is that there will be meaningful and rigorous academic work taking place during these schedules,” Bogart said.
Bogart said he has worked in other districts that have a similar schedule, and he has found it helpful to both students and teachers.
Sophomore Marleigh Grant said the new schedule will be a great way for students to have more time to set aside for specific classes instead of having to cram for multiple exams all at once.
Grant also stresses out during tests, so the new schedule and added nutrition break lifted some anxiety off her shoulders, she said.
“I think it’s gonna be really beneficial for people that have anxiety just to like take that like 10 minutes to just take a deep breath before the next final,” Grant said.
Junior Addy Hemphill agreed the new schedule will make the finals week better.
“I think it’ll be very beneficial to most students because it allows them time to go home, maybe do some more studying for their other finals or just be done because maybe they’re done with all their finals,” Hemphill said.
For students who do better studying inside of school, it may not help them, but Hemphill said most students seem excited about the change.
The schedule is as follows:
Reach reporter Sara Maloney at [email protected].
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