Finals alone are stressful. After all, grades can either go up or go down in an instant. We Upper Schoolers are under constant stress, and on top of that, we have tests and projects that measure what’s worth an entire semester of learning with a single grade. We have a three-day period of two finals per day with a built-in two and a half hour break in the middle.
Personally, I like the schedule for finals. I think extra time and necessary accommodations can be easily implemented for a student’s exams. The break in between finals allows time to prepare for the test that is taking place in a few hours. I was curious as to what others think because I have heard mixed opinions on finals week. I know the schedule has had drastic changes throughout the years, so I wanted to know if people had the same or a different opinion than I due to their personal experience. “The finals schedule was better this year than the first semester last year, which was difficult,” junior Sascha Keller said. However, “starting at 8 a.m. is very early” and she wishes we could “push it back an hour.” I liked Sascha’s idea of a later start because sleep is important, especially during exam season due to students’ stress. Lots of people at Parker use accommodations for extended time, so that is also a deciding factor when deciding what time the exams take place. I thought it would be interesting to get a fresh opinion from a student who has never taken finals at Parker before. “Finals week was a new and hard topic for me,” freshman Eden Auerbach said. “However, the synthesis cycle allowed me to prepare and understand the finals in each of my classes. I liked the 8 a.m. start due to it being easier to schedule extended time.”
After understanding how students feel about the schedule, I was curious about the faculty’s side of things. “Overall, I think the new finals schedule worked well. Designating a specific two-block period for each class generally provides enough time for students, both with and without testing accommodations, to complete their assessments without feeling rushed,” Upper School LR teacher and department co-chair Val Ginnan said. “From my perspective as a Learning Specialist, the main challenges during finals week are less about timing and more about space. My room is often very busy during finals, with students coming in and out for extra academic support across multiple subjects. That level of activity can naturally create noise, which makes it difficult to simultaneously maintain a quiet testing environment for students using accommodations.”
As an underclassman I don’t typically use Ms. Ginnan’s space, but I think this is something to consider. How can this crowding be prevented in order to accommodate students efficiently? “Because of this, during finals week I often encourage students, when possible, to test with their classroom teachers,” she continued. This is very clever, however some students thrive off of a smaller room with fewer distractions.
Ms. Ginnan said that “teachers are typically better positioned to provide a quiet testing space and to answer content-specific questions that may come up during an exam.” I completely agree that the teacher teaching the class has the best knowledge of what exactly is happening and what can be the most useful. In the end, while students and faculty have different experiences during finals, everyone’s perspective helps shape a schedule that supports our school community. Taking into consideration testing accommodations, room space, and more, I believe the finals schedule is effective yet can improve with testing sites and communication. This could be implemented by getting specific testing rooms, such as the Humanities Center, and making those a place where students can take tests.
