As finals week approaches, there are a lot of questions that arise. A lot has changed from past years due to COVID-19, and now, things are back to “normal.”
Finals are not what they used to be, and teachers at Antioch Community High School are taking a new approach to them. This is helpful not only for the students but the teachers as well.
“Course teams determine the type of final exam that is most appropriate to their discipline and unique course,” assistant principal for student services Scott Leverentz said. “That could be a broad range of things, from reflective activities to more traditional pencil-and-paper cumulative tests.”
The most noticeable change within finals week is the schedule. Class periods went from being three days with 80-minute classes to two days with 50-minute class periods. Only having a half-day gives staff time to grade and gives students time to study for the remaining finals they have.
“It seemed like it was the right time to update our final exam week schedule to better align to the needs of teachers for how they concluded the semester,” Leverentz said. “Afternoons off is not only nice for students when they are working through final assessments, but also for important end-of-semester teacher tasks and still seemed like a necessary adjustment during the last week of the semester.”
During students’ lunch hours, they are allowed to have an open campus lunch, meaning that they do not have to come to their lunch or study hall if they do not want to. If students choose to attend their lunch and study hall, they must report to their designated lunch areas and study hall room.
“Students can’t be entering and exiting the building repeatedly during that time,” Leverentz said. “So [they should] check the weather and make a plan for what [they] want to do during [their] 50 minutes of freedom.”
Antioch’s staff and administration are trying to return to normalcy, so a new finals schedule may create a new, beneficial routine that can be followed in the future.
“Last year in particular, we were making some substantial changes due to the circumstances we were experiencing at that time,” Leverentz said. “This year, we wanted to return to wrapping up the semester with valuable experiences that “tie a bow” on the work of the course and conclude five months of learning.”
This year the staff is hoping to end the semester on a good note and to continue the positivity through the remainder of the first semester.
