FINAL-ly: Why we now have exams before winter break

Phoenix Bruner and Kendall Ungerman|November 8, 2015

"It didn’t really affect me that much. I like how the semester ends before winter break. It’s easier because you don’t forget everything over winter break but winter break also provided time to study, so we don’t have that this year, but I think it’ll be fine." -Grace Benskin, Sophomore
“It didn’t really affect me that much. I like how the semester ends before winter break. It’s easier because you don’t forget everything over winter break but winter break also provided time to study, so we don’t have that this year, but I think it’ll be fine.” -Grace Benskin, Sophomore
"Not really too much, it was awkward going back to school on a Thursday though. " -Justin Gearhart, Sophomore
“Not really too much, it was awkward going back to school on a Thursday though. ” -Justin Gearhart, Sophomore
"I guess I don’t really care as long as we get out earlier too. Ending the semester before winter break is actually kind of cool, because it is actually makes sense now. Ending after was just a weird cut." -Taylor Hagadorn, Junior
“I guess I don’t really care as long as we get out earlier too. Ending the semester before winter break is actually kind of cool, because it is actually makes sense now. Ending after was just a weird cut.” -Taylor Hagadorn, Junior

As simple as it seems, changing the school calendar by five days required a lengthy process of collecting data and hosting public forums.

“They have been collecting data, whether it be hard data in the form of test scores, but then also anecdotal data from parents about their students,” Activities Director Kelly Snell said.

A 2013 survey was open for two weeks on both the district and school websites. Staff, parents, and students, specifically those in 10th and 11th grade, were encouraged to respond, and 84% were in favor of the change.

According to Resolution #255-13 Approval of School Calendars, 2015-2016, there were three main reasons given in favor of the change: providing students with a real break that aligns with the college schedule, allowing more instructional time before spring testing, and permitting more opportunities to find summer employment.

“One of the most compelling reasons for it was that there are natural breaks for assessments, especially as we are trying to prepare students for postsecondary, whether that’s college or different things,” Executive Director of High School Education Ron Peterson said.

However, while an 84% approval rating is pretty impressive, why would 16% of the people who responded to the proposal not support a change? Resolution #255-13 states three reasons given by opposers: the impact on family/employer schedules and the impact on summer camps, students can no longer use winter break to study for finals, and finals would fall during holiday performances.

“Typically, in December, the theatre is packed with performing arts concerts,” Snell said. “Now that there’s a whole week of finals in December, we can’t have any events that week.”

The only alternative was to keep the schedule the way it was last year. First semester would end in mid-January and the school year would end in June.

“This is just going to be a year where we’re going to try some things and then we’re going to learn by talking to staff and talking to students and then we’ll make some decisions,” Snell said. “We’re going to learn some things from it and then we’ll make adjustments for the better of the community.”