Final exams delayed

The exam schedule will be delayed a day because of an MCPS mandate that requires exams to start Monday, June 16. Principal Phillip Gainous' announcement today surprised and angered many students and teachers.

The order to delay exams came from the MCPS Office of School Performance, according to secretary Cherrie Avery.

Administrators and teachers were notified late Monday by e-mail that the exams would be postponed to Monday. Review day was delayed to Friday and an odd day was inserted for tomorrow.

Many teachers who had planned on Thursday as a review day were forced to scramble for teaching material. "I need to magically create lesson plans for tomorrow. I'm not thrilled," said English teacher Luke Henry.

The exam schedule was first changed in late March after snow cancellations. According to MCPS Director of Communications Brian Porter, a memo was sent out to all high schools of the mandatory exam start date. "This was made well known to the principals. The original start date was Monday and has always been Monday," he said.

Blair changed its calendar in late March by adding an even day to the school year. This allowed for all exams to end on Friday, June 20, which would have given teachers the weekend to record their grades.

Assistant Principal Carole Working said MCPS had ample time to look at the schedule for problems. "There's a process by which every school's schedule is set up. It's been sitting [in the Superintendent's Office] awhile," she said. "There was an opportunity for feedback. So clearly when the original plan was filed, we assumed it was OK."

Other high schools affected by the mandate are Springbrook, Wootton, Einstein and Northwest, all of which planned to have exam days beginning Friday.

The Revised Schedule

Thursday (June 12): Odd day
Friday (June 13): Review day
Monday (June 16): Exams 1, 2
Tuesday (June 17): Exams 3,4
Wednesday(June 18): Exams 5,6
Thursday (June 19): Exams 7,8
Friday (June 20): Make-up day*
Monday (June 23): Make-up day*

* = as approved by administration only

More information to come.

Additional reporting by Josh Gottlieb-Miller