MCT

U.S. map shows the states that have adopted the Common Core Standards designed to provide a clear understanding for what students should be able to know and do in English and math.

Recently, there have been numerous rumors that seniors will not be able to exempt from finals next year. As of now, the rumors are false, but don’t get too excited just yet.

“It has been talked about. I won’t tell you it hasn’t been bantered about, but it hasn’t been talked about in a formal decision making meeting,” said Principal Dr. Marina Scott.

Finals exemptions are currently for seniors with an “A” in their class, eliminating the stress that comes along with taking the exams. Many other rules apply to the situation, such as duration and type of class. Year-long courses only allow seniors to exempt second semester while the one-semester course allows seniors to exempt either semester.

“I have been looking forward to exempting from finals since freshman year. I don’t want to take finals because it’s stressful to study and take one test that could ruin the grade that you have been working hard to maintain all semester,” said junior Natalie Chow.

Finals are not only used to measure how well a student is doing academically, but also how well a teacher is teaching, Dr. Scott explained. The administration uses the test scores as data to help improve teaching and curriculum. But when all the seniors with A’s don’t take the final, it takes away some of that data that is crucial. This makes the data inaccurate and does not show how well a teacher is doing.

The education system right now is constantly changing nationwide and this could affect finals exemptions. The Common Core curriculum is taking over all aspects of academics. Many finals are changing to skill-based, and an increasing amount of students must participate in PARCC testing, Dr. Scott remarked.

“It’s a really changing time in education. Where in the past you would think ‘Oh, this will stay like this forever, that’s how education is.’ But that’s not how education is right now,” said Dr. Scott.

If the district decides to formally discuss finals exemptions, it will be treated like any other decision, with administrators and teachers meeting as a committee to discuss potential changes.

“It could happen by next year [2016-17], that’s possible. I’m not saying ‘Oh that could never happen,’” said Dr. Scott.

“We usually wouldn’t do something just for the sake of doing it. There would be a purpose. And right now there are other options to that purpose such as restructuring finals or putting them at different times [of the school year]. There’s other options.”