After a change was implemented several years ago regarding final exam proctoring and schedules, D219 is reverting back to the initial set up where teachers will be administering their own final exams to their own classes. This change will hopefully eliminate unnecessary student anxieties raised over having a different teacher proctor their exam, foster more positive student-teacher relationships and prove to be a simpler process for everyone.

The exam schedule will go like this:

Day 1 Monday, May 20:

8:10 -9:30: Period 4

9:40-11:00: Period 6

11:10-12:30: Period 8

12:40-2:00: Period 9

Day 2 Tuesday, May 21:

8:10 -9:30: Period 2

9:40-11:00: Period 7

11:10-12:30: Period 5

12:40-2:00: Make-up/Conflicts

Day 3 Wednesday, May 22:

8:10 -9:30: Period 1

9:40-11:00: Period 3

11:10-12:30: Make-up/Conflicts

12:40-2:00: Make-up/Conflicts

There will be a ten-minute passing time between each exam period. All make-up exams will be administered in Room 1161 (Lit Center) and students may only make-up tests after the exam date.

English final exams will also be different. Instead of taking a traditional English final during the designated finals’ days, English finals will only consist of an essay and will be administered prior to the first final exam day.

Teachers will see added benefits when it comes to comfort levels for students and do prefer this way of testing.

“I think that most of the teachers have been here long enough when that was actually a thing, when we gave our own final exams. We liked that better, we’re with our students in our classrooms, there’s a certain comfort level there, obviously for students taking the tests. It saves us a lot of paper because I can now make a class set of a test and just reuse that a couple of times. For someone who used to do this, I kind of like it better that we can be with our own students,” social studies teacher Matthew Wiemer said.

Some West students see this change as a positive when it comes to increased convenience and comfort.

“It’s more convenient for students, they know where they’re going, they know their teacher, and it’s probably more comfortable so they know who’s going to be there for them if they want to ask questions,” sophomore Daniela Susjnara said.

Senior Rija Quareshi sees the new exam set up as a positive for those who have to miss a final exam day.

“I like this better than the way we had it before because [it’s easier for] people who leave early on vacations,” Quareshi said. “Also they can contact their proctors because they know who they are [if they are going to miss an exam].”

Some students, like sophomore Olivia Wendel, are concerned and skeptical of potential cheating incidents that can occur with the exam, seeing as some students may take an exam before others.

“[That could] mean that you can take the same test as somebody, but the day before, so you can pretty much tell them the answers,” Wendel said.

Quareshi doesn’t see the potential of cheating as a large threat.

“For taking it at different times, there’s a possibility of cheating, but I don’t think it’ll be that high because most tests are pretty long, and most people won’t remember the questions anyway,” Quareshi said.

Despite some buzz about cheating, Wiemer doesn’t see a difference in this final exam schedule from his regular tests administered during school.

“You could say that about any student taking a test in my first period class and then a student in my fifth period class. Do students talk, sure. But I think that the old final exam schedule did address that concern, but I don’t think that most schools test that way,” Wiemer said.

There is some skepticism that comes with the new final exam schedule, but overall students see the benefits and added comfort that comes from reverting back to this set-up.