Monday, Nov. 18, Westerville school administrators met to change the original three-day exam schedule to a new, modified four-day plan after receiving complaints from the community last school year.  As a result, Westerville South has a new midterm and final exam schedule. 

Because the complaints concerned students’ behavior off-campus during lunch periods on exam days, the modified exam schedule will ensure that students remain in school for a full day, including their designated lunch period.

Student needs were taken into consideration in creating the new schedule, according to Principal Mike Hinze.  

Hinze explained how most students preferred to not have exams back to back. However, to give students an equal amount of time as the previous schedule.

The previous exam schedule offered approximately an hour and 34 minutes to complete the final exam; South students lose no time with the new schedule as each period is 47 minutes or longer; and with two days to complete the exam, they will have a minimum of 1.5 hours total. 

The new exam schedule is a four-day schedule that follows the same bells and periods of a regular day. Every other period, depending on your lunch, will alternate between study periods and exam periods. The exams will be split between two days and into two parts per course.  

On days students do not have an exam scheduled for a class period, then that period will be used as “Just a study hall” and “Simply a Preparation class,” according to English teacher, Jen Baker. 

If a student has a study hall days first before an exam, a teacher is allowed to use those two days as preparation for the exams, however, “teachers are not allowed to teach any new content during exam week,” Said Baker. If students have study hall periods after their exam days then those should be used as real study periods to prepare for other exams.

During study hall periods, students are not allowed to leave the school grounds.  If a student leaves, it will be counted as a skip and detentions will be given as per usual, explained Hinze.

As for seniors who are exempt from taking a final, they will need to form a plan with their teacher to either stay within the classroom quietly studying during the exam period or report to the media center.  

 “Other senior privileges like lunch out, early release, and late arrival will still be valid,” according to English teacher Cassie Coggburn.