Story by EMILY BRESETTE
Graphic by EMILY BRESETTE and ABBY UCHE
At the beginning of the year, principal for academic affairs Barbara McCormick organized a committee made up of teachers to create the new finals schedule. Previously, students had taken their exams in teachers’ classrooms and their finals schedule was determined by their Friday mods. This year, students will be testing in different locations and will be grouped together by subject.
English teacher Katie Dolan is a member of McCormick’s committee. According to Dolan, this change results directly from the new scheduling system. When STA decided to use PowerSchool, an online scheduling system, it could not accomodate the daily changing class times of every student; STA had to replace its modular scheduling system. Because not all classes meet on Friday, the final exam schedule had to be changed.
Junior Emily Holt feels the new finals schedule is confusing and will not help STA students.
“[Last year,] you got to take [the exam] in the classroom,” Holt said. “There was no confusion about anything. You knew everything a few weeks in advance. I’m still confused on what the schedule is this year.”
Students are not the only ones being affected by the new finals schedule. Social studies teacher Craig Whitney and Latin teacher Sue Marquis are using alternatives to students being grouped together.
“I’m not too wild about [the new finals schedule],” Whitney said. “That’s one reason why I created a take home final for [my regular American history class].”
Marquis is creating place markers for each individual and each girl must sit in her assigned spot. This is also a way for students to not cheat during the exam.
“I am concerned about cheating,” Marquis said. “[And] about the number of proctors, I’m not sure they can watch that many students. [Cheating] is a possibility.”
Holt also sees a problem with cheating during finals. She believes that with multiple classes in one location, students will find ways to cheat.
“With so many people in one place, it will be confusing,” Holt said. “No matter how many proctors they have, the students will outnumber [the proctors.] There will be some cheating going on.”
Dolan, however, does not believe cheating will be as big an issue as it has been in the past.
“One thing we did this year to instill test integrity is, for the most part, have all the exams on the same day,” Dolan said. “Last year, I had one freshman class take the [final exam] one day. Then four days later, another group of freshman would come in. They all knew what was going to be on the exam. I had to make another exam.”
According to Dolan, the number of proctors in each location will help eliminate cheating, as well. The proctors will be all teachers and each teacher will moderate their own sections and others as well.
“I don’t think [the new finals schedule] is easier or more challenging,” Dolan said. “I don’t think [one schedule] benefits over the other.”
