With the end of the school year nearing, seniors have many positives to look forward to in addition to graduation. This spring, if students meet specific requirements, they may be exempt from taking the final exam in some classes, which is seen as a reward for the hard work they have demonstrated throughout the school year.
To qualify for final exam exemptions, students must meet specific criteria that include: maintaining at least a 94% or higher in that class, no more than two unexcused absences (and therefore, no more than two tardies) and not having any Level-2 infractions or more than two Level-1 infractions. Therefore, the policy clearly states that students will be exempt from taking a final examination based on their academic performance, and for the most part, will also be exempt based on their attendance and behavior.
This policy will apply to multiple classes. Seniors are eligible to earn an exemption from their final exams in all of their government classes, English classes, Being Notre Dame class, or computer science class. This gives seniors the opportunity to qualify for the final exam exemption from spring semester classes.
The responses to the exemption have been mixed. Many students are pleased due to the fact that they finally feel as if their time and energy have been rewarded. For students who worked hard throughout the school year to be responsible with their academics, attendance, and behaviors, receiving the exemption will help ease additional stress as they prepare for graduation.
A student who agrees to the policy provides their opinion about how it is fair and motivates students, Brooke Morse says, “I think that it is a great way to get the Sharks motivated for the last couple of months of school. Senioritis is definitely a thing for all seniors, and this gift just helps students stay on track and to not fall behind.” While other students do not agree with the policy. One student has provided feedback on how the rules are too strict, and the student misses their requirement by one tardy or by a few points, which can be frustrating.
One of the students who disagrees expressed how they think the policy could be improved, Georgia Melvin states, “I think that the requirements for this gift are kind of impossible. One way that they could improve the guidelines of this gift is to make it a little bit more geared towards doing well and not falling behind, rather than really specific and demanding requirements.”
There is also added pressure on qualifying. Many students find it difficult to maintain perfect attendance and behavior while keeping up their grades, which creates excessive pressure, especially for those students nearing the end of the school year.
As the seniors approach their last couple of weeks at school, this policy remains a topic of conversation, as the final exam exemption policy provides a benefit to students who are consistent with their attendance, behavior and grades. While this is very exciting for some students, for other students, it is very overwhelming and creates anxiety because there is so much pressure surrounding the policy.
