Last school year, Covid-19 canceled all our end-of-school plans including finals.  This year, teachers were given the option to either proceed with normal final exams or do something different this year. Each learning department held a meeting to decide what type of final will be best for each class. Most teachers decided to proceed with regular final exams, while other teachers decided to do a creative project or a three-part exam. Mrs. Siewert explained, “I wanted to test in such a way that would be less stressful for the kids. I am giving 3-4 small tests which I will then add together as a final exam grade and will count 20%.” Teachers made sure to give out finals they thought would be the best and most effective for each of their classes.

Many factors went into the decision for exactly how finals will look this year. With Covid-19 safety protocols in place and with resuming back to the hybrid learning model, the administration decided that having in-person finals are still happening right now.  Even if we had to go all-remote, teachers would not have canceled their final exams and would continue to give out the final.  Most teachers have decided that doing a final online will be best for any scenario that may happen during this year. “I think finals will be in person, but I expect to have to make accommodations for people who are remote-only. As a result, I am planning to give my finals online to everyone,” says Mr. Briski. Some programs teachers are planning to use to distribute the online finals are Exam.net, Socrative, or Microsoft forms. These websites are making test-taking much easier for students and teachers.

Another factor that went into deciding on how finals will be this year is grade level and subject matter.  So, we can see each grade doing different types of finals this year. For instance, freshman and sophomore theology will be doing a project this year, whereas junior and senior theology will be doing a normal exam. “Each of us is doing a bit of everything.  Tests, projects, and papers.  Our goal is to do what is best for each individual class and grade level,” says Mr. Brieger.

Hopefully, all the final exams will run smoothly, and we end this year on a good note.  Good luck to all students as we finish first semester!