Midterm week will continue to run this year as it has in the past, with students only reporting to school during the mornings and afternoons to take their exams.  The four-day period helps ensure students have more time to review and focus on their exams instead of worrying about completing assignments from other classes.  The exam schedule is created in collaboration with all department chairpersons and the New York State Regents schedule, and each chairperson speaks with members of their respective departments to work out concerns or issues. Earlier this month, the Schreiber administration released the finalized testing information, and many students noticed certain class subjects weren’t listed in the schedule, such as AP US History and AP Computer Science A.  

While students initially believed there wouldn’t be midterm exams for these subjects, teachers later informed them of “cumulative assessments” scheduled on the days leading up to midterm week.  For example, many teachers have scheduled exams for the Monday of testing week, which is still a regular school day.  On top of preparing for their actual midterms, students now also have to worry about in-class midterms, reducing the purpose of the dedicated testing week.    

Furthermore, students’ schedules are being packed to the brim by tests the week before midterms.  As teachers scramble to get in unit exams and grades before the quarter ends, many students find themselves having more than five tests that week.  While teachers may argue that academic rigor is expected and students should plan their time wisely, students still have sports and extracurriculars on top of studying for ten or more tests back to back, within a span of two weeks.  Unfortunately, many semester courses are ending which require teachers to evaluate students at the end of the marking period regardless, necessitating some exams to be held prior to midterm week.

Many believe this is poor planning, and if midterm week is too short to fit all subjects in, the administration should make efforts to lengthen the period or schedule non-midterm exams, such as the research qualifying exams, for a different date.  If extending the period is an issue regarding the number of mandatory days in school, the administration should consider taking a day or two from the school’s snow days as it is evident from last year that none were ever used.

This dilemma has put many students under immense stress and pressure, and even those with the most efficient time management skills will lose hours of sleep and rest.  The Schreiber administration should reconsider how midterm week plans will be scheduled in the future, and take into account the complications that certain scheduling decisions may bring to students and teachers.