Students in Ms. Grogan's 10th grade English class, prepare for their next exams.
Exams for fall 2022-2023 were moved this school year after winter break rather than before. This change was done as a collective agreement in the county to ensure equal semesters so teachers couls get the right amount of face-to-face time with students.
The new exam schedule went into effect. Students stressed on how to prepare while teachers were interested on how this might help or not help their planning for the semester. After exams there were some changes in points-of-view for teachers and students.
WHS Principal Dr. Blanton supports the new exam schedule for a variety of reasons, including its balancing out of semesters.
¨I think for that reason I think that it probably worked out pretty well,¨ said Blanton. ¨The other thing is that in the past when we had exams before Christmas, the semesters were pretty lopsided.¨
The new schedule did provide challenges for both students and teachers. Teachers must plan lessons to keep student attention both before and after winter break, and students have to prepare differently than previous years.
¨Overall, I prefer the exam schedule before break,¨ said English teacher Emily Grogan. ¨I like having the semester end when Christmas break starts and having a brand new start for second semester.¨
While the transition has taken time to get used to, teachers and students worked to adjust.
¨The only difficulties were being out for the fourth block exam due to the weather and the fire,¨ said Grogan. ¨But we adjusted just fine¨
The new exam schedule posed a challenge for students who had become accustomed to the previous exam schedule.
¨Students seemed a little burned out and ready to move on. I know they wanted to do well, but I think they were tired,” said math teacher Jerry Moretz. ¨I had a feeling before we left for break that this situation might arise. Students are so resilient. They rose to the challenge and did very well and I am truly thankful for that.¨
For some students, the new exam schedule brought challenges, while others didn’t feel entirely opposed to the new schedule.
¨Having exams after the break didn't affect me very much,¨ said senior Piper Saunders. ¨I can imagine that for underclassmen who are mainly taking semester-long classes it is challenging to come back after a two-week break and have to take an exam.¨
Some students felt that this new exam schedule would cause a decline in exam scores, but the results might be more complicated to interpret.
¨Some of our exam scores were better this year,¨ said Blanton. ¨And some of them were not quite as good.¨
While some scores were low, the new exam schedule isn’t entirely to blame.
¨I don't know that you can attribute that to when the exams were given,¨ said Blanton. “The only thing we are looking at when we do that is proficiency.¨
While the new exam schedule posed difficulties for students and teachers alike, the school has made adjustments. We might anticipate seeing this schedule as the new normal for future academic years.
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