The administration reduced the midterm length from two hours to an hour and a half and is now considering moving midterms from after Christmas break to before Christmas break.
According to Principal Madelyn Ball, teachers prompted the time change. “The teachers asked me earlier in the year if they had to be two hours long, and I said, ‘No, not as far as I’m concerned.’ The teachers really wanted it to be that way,” Ball said.
“The whole idea of two hour long exams was to increase the rigor. It’s the questions, not the number of questions, which affect the rigor,” Ball said.
The time reduction will remain in place for final exams as well.
Senior Nandin Dave thinks the changes will make preparing for his exams easier. “It’s harder to concentrate with the tests being longer. It being shorter gives a more precise idea of what to study,” Dave said.
Sophomore Travis Nelson echoes these sentiments. “I think that midterms’ being shortened is nice because the shorter time guarantees a slightly less stressful exam experience,” Nelson said.
For tips on avoiding midterm stress, check out the Lifestyles story here.
Junior Shannon Olsen prefers the longer exam time. “I liked the two hour time slot better, so I had more time to take the exam,” Olsen said.
Some Advanced Placement classes require extra time for midterms to reflect the actual time limit for AP tests. Teachers of these classes will decide the times for these midterms individually.
In addition, students with learning disabilities will still have additional time to complete their exams.
Ball was motivated to enact the midterm changes to improve conditions for students. For this reason, exams next year could be held before Christmas break.
A meeting was held on Tuesday, Jan. 10, to determine whether midterms will be held before or after break this coming year. The Patriot contacted Ball for information on the meeting results, but she was unavailable for comment. This story will be updated with results of the meeting when they are available.
Freshman Emma Kleinberg thinks this is a wise move. “I think that exams should be before Christmas break, because then the information will be more fresh in your mind, and when you have so many days off, you have more time to forget what you learned,” Kleinberg said.
Test scores would reinforce such a change. “Students usually perform better on exams before Christmas break. Instruction before Christmas is then more meaningful,” Ball said.
Because of current scheduling, the midterms would not mark the end of the semester. “It’s very different to end the semester before Christmas because of when we start school. You can give exams before Christmas and have two weeks of school after Christmas,” Ball said.
Nelson believes this is in the best interest of the student body. “Exams being before Christmas is something that I think will benefit students in the long run because that stress of preparing for exams will not be perpetuated over the break,” Nelson said.
Adam Kuester is a News Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.