Dear Parents/Guardians,
At the start of the 2018-19 school year, SHS announced that the approach and structure to Final Exam Week would be altered and restructured. The motivation behind this alteration has been rooted in School Board policies and expectations related to Academic Mastery and Wellness. Our goal throughout this process has been three-fold: promote strong Academic Mastery, prepare students for their likely post-secondary experiences, and acknowledge the vital role we play, as a school, in promoting Wellness.
As we engaged with this work it became clear that a schedule change was not necessary. We realized that how we provide time for the experience (our daily bell schedule), wasn't as important as what the student experiences during that time. With this principle in mind, we have decided to continue to run the same end-of-semester bell schedule as we have in the past.
The schedule for January 2019 is as follows:
Tuesday, January 15th
Hour 1: 8:15 - 9:45 AM
Hour 2: 10:15- 11:45 AM
Wednesday, January 16th
Hour 3: 8:30 - 9:45 AM
Hour 4: 10:15 - 11:45 AM
Hour 5: 1:00 - 2:30 PM
Thursday, January 17th
Hour 6: 8:15 - 9:45 AM
Hour 7: 10:15 - 11:45 AM
*Please note, students will be dismissed from school after the conclusion of the last assessment period, each day.
In the past, students only participated in traditional final exams. Although these may still occur, they will not be the only form of assessment used by teachers. During these assessment times students will engage in a variety of subject-dependent experiences: cumulative assessments (an exam), culminating experiences (a paper or a project) or some type of student wellness activity (a workout or yoga).
In addition to the assessment shift, there are several other logistical changes for Assessment Week, as well:
- Students must report to each class on their schedule during the final week of the semester.
- There will be NO Exam Exemptions. Assessments should be used to evaluate the learning of all students in a class.
- Common classes taught by multiple teachers will have common grade weights for any assessment.
- Students in different course sections will have the same assessment format for each class regardless of teacher (i.e. two American Society teachers will give the same culminating assessment/experience/activity with the same grade weight).
- Teachers are not required to give a formal exam during Assessment Week; however, there will be a culminating assessment in each course offered at SHS.
As a staff, we are committed to continuing the conversation of providing meaningful educational experiences for all of our students. This structure provides flexibility and encourages innovative practices and ideas to maximize students' Academic Mastery and Student Wellness.
We are continuing to evaluate what the 2nd semester Assessment Week experience will look like for our seniors. The last day of classes for seniors is June 7th, and the commencement ceremony will be held on Sunday, June 9th. Freshman, sophomore, and junior students will finish school on June 12th. We will work through the logistics as a staff and communicate this information to you prior to the end of the 3rd quarter.
Thanks,
Tim Kenney
Principal, Shorewood High School