Good afternoon-
In case you did not receive the email earlier this week, here are the expectations for exams:
Midyear Exams
The teachers at AHS have thoughtfully examined the purpose of midyear cumulative
exams, especially in light of the ongoing pandemic. While they recognize the concerns of students who have had extended absences, they
feel there are benefits to moving forward with our
current exam schedule (January 25-28) for the following reasons:
a) It allows us to gather needed data regarding aggregate and individual academic
progress,
b) gives students the chance to experience/practice taking longer exams before they go
on to post-secondary schooling/training, and
c) allows students to see our commitment to their growth.
Departments have spent significant time over the past semester thoughtfully reducing
the difficulty of exams due to students' lack of experience with cumulative exams and
the other challenges of pandemic, focusing instead on the most essential concepts and
content.
The weight of the midyear and final exams for will be changed from 10% to
5% each. The weight of each term will be adjusted to 22.5.(Half year courses will be weighted 45% T1, 45% T2, 10% Ex). This recognizes
some students may have had difficulty adjusting to the schedule, rigor and other
conditions this year compared to last year. We hope students will continue to rebuild
skills and continue to show growth in the second half of the school year.
Exam waivers may be necessary for some students who have missed a lot of school
this month due to medical reasons. Parents/students who are concerned because of an
extended medical absence should reach out to the student’s Dean. Each situation will
be looked at on a case by case basis with input from counselors, students and parents,
with the possibility of additional exam accommodations (i.e. less difficulty, omitted
content, make-up exams, reduced weights). Students who are experiencing an unusually
high level of stress are encouraged to reach out to a counselor, teacher or other trusted
adult. Some stress around comprehensive exams is natural and even helpful. However,
we do not want students experiencing stress at unhealthy levels.
Not all departments will give midyears. This is due to the nature of the content in
their course. This is similar to what students will experience in their post-secondary
education when assessments will look different based on the nature of the course.
In many courses, project or performance based assessments require more than a 90
minute block, so students in those classes are assessed differently. Teachers in these
courses do still assess student growth and learning over the course of each semester.
We encourage students to respect the need to assess differently and respect how each
department is using the time during exam week.
Term 2 report cards- available Friday, February 4 after 3pm
Encourage your student to register for Challenge Day!!
We are once again excited to bring Challenge Day to AHS on February 2, 2022. It is a full day in school field trip where students learn skills to make our school community a more safe, respectful, and inclusive environment.
Students can sign up using the attached link: Challenge Day registration
