Finals policy changes receive mixed reviews
CHS finals policy has changed and has brought mixed reactions along with it
CHS is no stranger to changes. Now being added to the long list of new implemented policies this year is a new finals policy.
According to 10th grade principal Michael Black, “We’re running finals more like midterms, in a sense that we’re not going to be having half days like in the past.”
In the past finals were held on two days, and each day the student completed two finals. Now instead of finals being held on two half days, final days will be set during the regular school day.
Black said this is because “we’re trying to provide consistency and eliminate potential safety issues.”
Also in previous years at CHS, students were exempt from finals if they had 95% average for all 4 marking periods. This is no longer the case.
Finals policy changes receive mixed reviews
Sorry, there was an error loading this poll.
Black said, “At this point, exemptions are no longer an option. We think it’s important that everybody participates in the exam.”
This change is based on the fact that every year there are students who graduate and have never taken a final, thus being unprepared for college finals.
There are several downsides to the new changes. For example, because students are to complete their finals with their subject teachers, this creates a definite problem with mixed classrooms. The senior’s last day of school is typically towards the end of May, while the rest of CHS’s students continue to go school until early June. If seniors are supposed to take their finals with underclassmen, this could propose some problems, such as cheating.
Another problem is students who have signed up for multiple courses are required to take one final/midterm for each class.
Science teacher Cheryl Holquist said, “I’m all for my Bio 2 students taking my final exam; this is an upper level course. What I don’t like is that we are changing [the policy] in the middle of the year. Good idea, bad timing.”
Sophomore Taylor Lebo said, “I’m unhappy with [the changes to the finals] because they changed the schedule […] and you can’t be exempt from finals, and I really want to be exempt from finals.”
The good news is the administration is trying to work out a way to reward students for their good grades.
Black said, “We understand the importance of rewarding students for high academic success.”
For more opinions on the final exam changes, click here.
Want to help the Herd? Please consider supporting the Periscope program. Your donation will support the student journalists of CHS and allow us to purchase equipment, send students to workshops/camps, and cover our annual website hosting costs.
Chenta Shirley is a senior at Carlisle High School and this is her second year on the periscope staff. She plans on graduating in the spring of 2015 and...
This is Clara Cozort's third year on staff for Periscope! Clara has taken on the roll of being Art Director and Co-Director of social media. While she...
Gary Pariseau • Jan 20, 2015 at 12:55 pm
Although midterms weren’t too difficult this year I definitely feel that a 15% is much better than a 25%.
Spencer Pechart • Jan 20, 2014 at 10:20 pm
Now that midterms are over, I must say the decrease to 15% is somewhat relieving! I’m not thrilled about the prospect of mandatory finals, either, but if they go as smoothly as the midterms did, then I have no complaints.
Sarah Mosinski • Jan 12, 2014 at 6:49 pm
It’s really frustrating having these changes come in the middle of the year, especially for students taking multiple course in one subject. I doubled up in science for two years and I have to say, I’m glad I didn’t this year. The fact that these changes are taking place in the middle of the year leaves students doubling up in courses stuck as they’re forced to take finals for two classes in the same subject, which they didn’t know they’d have to do when choosing their course for the year and adds a lot of stress and comes as a surprise.. Reviewing half a year’s course material is difficult enough without adding another class to review. They really should have waited to implement the new policy, though I have to say, I don’t quite see why it’s so necessary to do so now. If they’re structuring finals to be more like midterms, then why don’t the midterms prepare students going to college for finals? If that’s what they’re trying to do, making the finals similar to midterms, which are required for students to take, doesn’t prep students any differently for college finals. Besides, from what I understand, having two half days to complete the finals is more similar to what the conditions will be for completing college finals rather than taking them during a regular school day. Additionally, underclassmen will have to take their finals much earlier or seniors will have to come in later to take their finals. Either way presents problems. Underclassmen will either lose the extra days usually given to study for the finals and instead spend those days doing some sort of busy work or seniors will have to study on their own at home which is more difficult without a teacher present to help with the review.
Kelley Ann Mitchell • Dec 3, 2013 at 8:40 am
I do not really like this new policy. I feel like if finals are held on a regular school day, students will not take them as seriously. They will feel like it is a regular day of school and will not be able to focus as well as if they just came to school to take the final. When students just come to school to take the final, they have one focus on their mind: to do as well as they can on that one test. Now, students will have other distractions throughout their day to take their minds off that subject they are going to be tested on.