As this year finds closure, several students disconnected from Zoom and indulged in an assortment of taxing assignments. Second semester finals made a comeback in 2021, after their unpredictable absence in-person the preceding year. Parker faculty have worked to plan meticulous assignments that capture the contents of this semester’s curricula. 

The logistics of finals didn’t differ from previous semesters. Finals took place from June 7 through June 9, with two hour periods twice each day. Students arrived at the designated time of their first final and left once finished. Students were additionally permitted to leave campus in between final periods. Middle and Upper School Director of Studies Sven Carlsson didn’t notice any major difference from finals this year compared to previous years. “I think on the surface there are no differences,” Carlsson said. “To see the actual difference you have to go under the surface. The main difference is the fatigue at this point.”

Upper School History Teacher Jeanne Barr teaches three classes. Her senior class, Talk of the Town, immersed students in an independent project. Students were given the opportunity to choose the direction to take their final, given it correlates with their group’s theme. 

For Barr’s Upper School (US) istory class, juniors engaged in a project-style final. “We don’t tend to give cumulative exams,” Barr said. “Recollecting all of those factoids is not necessarily a great representation of having learned a lot in our classes.” 

For her Crimes In Humanity course, her sophomores read a book entitled “Born A Crime” by Trevor Noah and later discussed it. She described the book as refreshing, given the contents of the course are naturally rather morbid. “It’s a nice way to bring that class to look on the hopeful sides of these things and focus on healing,” Barr said. 

Upper School science teacher Leslie Webster teaches three classes of sophomores in Advanced Chemistry and one class of seniors in Advanced Topics In Chemistry. Her sophomore classes spent half of the finals period taking a test, and the remainder on a project. “My usual philosophy for finals is that I write an exam that is basic chemical principles,” Webster said. “If they were here for all of the exams throughout the year, they should do very well on this quiz.” 

The student body has returned to campus with an array of new protocols enforced to keep the Parker community safe. However, several students still attend school on a remote platform, virtually Zooming in their classes. There is often a disconnect that students learning remotely have reflected on, and during finals, this disconnect only deepened.
“I feel like an observer but not a student in the classroom,” said junior Noemi Ponce. “I’m just watching what’s going on instead of participating. I think that teachers consciously forget that remote students are there, and when they remember, it’s a bit too late because it’s towards the end of the class.”

Ponce has spent her entire school year remote and only recently decided to return to campus. For finals, her history class was required to engage in a mock trial. “That’s the one that kind of geared me to decide to come back in person because it’s a group project,” Ponce said. “I’ve experienced it online, and it was a really bad experience, so I don’t want to go through that again. So, I guess I’ll come in and I’ll take my precautions.”

Ponce also notes the technical hardship she has endured. “I can’t really raise my hand through Zoom because the camera isn’t facing the teacher, and if I try to speak up, I’m scared that they’re not going to be able to hear me,” Ponce said. “Also, I haven’t had an experience where my classmates have advocated for me, where they’re like ‘oh, this person is raising their hand.’”

Several members of the Parker community have noted concerns that students learning in-person will return home on testing days. “As someone who has been remote the majority of the time, I kind of take offense to that because I have been going through this the whole year,” Ponce said. “Why do you have the privilege to shift constantly?”

A fair dynamic must be enforced when assigning a final between remote and in-person students. Barr assumes that a student learning virtually won’t affect the process or outcome of their work. “Whatever it is that we do, it’ll be the same as it is in class,” Barr said while planning her finals. “They’ll Zoom in, and I’ll design it in such a way that the remote students have just as much of an opportunity to express.”

Throughout this year, there was speculation in the  Parker community remote students had access to additional assets while taking an exam. In the comfort of their own home, several opportunities to cheat may arise. Before her most recent exam, Barr was aware that some unfair advantages were present and allowed all students to take it virtually. “I made a choice that everyone could do it asynchronously,” Barr said. “Because it’s not fair, and I figure if kids really are plastering their walls with the answers, then more power to them. If you took the time to do that, you learned the material.”

In a skills-based language class, Upper School Spanish teacher Yadiner Sabir notes that students can easily use a translator while taking an assessment, yet she rarely is cognizant of it. “They can always use a translator, but in the end when you take that exam after a year of practicing those skills, it is going to be evident whether you were actually practicing the skills or if you were using a translator or getting help you were not supposed to get,” Sabir said.

With students learning remotely, both Barr and Sabir have used DigiExam, an online application that ensures students are not cheating on their device during an assessment. It locks the student’s screen and prevents them from entering other applications. If a student is required to use extra time, DigiExam can take that into account. Additionally, if internet connectivity issues arise, the exam will automatically shut down and notify the teacher. “I liked Digiexam while we were remote because it gives me the most control I can have over the integrity of the exam,” Sabir said. “It’s very convenient in that sense.”

Last year at this time, most Parker faculty were scrambling to maintain a productive curriculum in the heat of the Coronavirus. Many plans for finals were disregarded or reduced. “I think last year, teachers were just struggling, and the learning curve was so hard and it was exhausting,” Barr said. “I was staying up well past midnight every night. So, I don’t think anyone or anything should be judged by last year’s experience as long as someone was trying.”

Upper School math teacher Steve Tyler notes the importance of finals, as it prepares students for higher education and stimulates development. He reflects on his college experience. “There were certain college exams that were three hours,” Tyler said. “I think it’s important for high schools to give all students the opportunity to prepare and get used to that. For last year’s finals, those students don’t have that building block where they’re getting ready to handle a three hour exam.”

Carlsson notes the significance of finals. “I think it’s important because the idea of finals is to have some sense of closure,” Carlsson said. “We do try to have a cohesive curriculum where we’re viewing people as continuing to grow throughout their time here. On that journey, I think it’s important to have finite growth markers so that you can see not just the continuity but designated moments where you can say ‘hey, we are going to stop and reflect in a meaningful way.’”