Later this month, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Formers will engage in a five-day final examination period.
The upper school has not staged an official exam week since before COVID-19. In the years since the pandemic, some teachers have opted to assess their students through projects or essays, while others have given sit-down tests during their class blocks.
But this year, all core subjects must assess students in a 90-to-120 minute period. Third Form exams will be worth 15-20% of the second-semester grade, Fourth Form exams will be worth 20-25%, and Fifth Form classes 25-30%. Students will take one exam every day for five days, and they will be permitted to leave campus after their testing period.
Head of the Upper School Mr. Mark Fifer provided numerous reasons for this year’s shift to a more traditional exam week format.
The first element of Mr. Fifer’s rationale is an alleviation of last year’s chaotic exam landscape. “There were some pressure points that surfaced last year, some of which included students having to navigate other coursework on the day that they had to take a semester exam [and] the fact that shared courses couldn’t take the exam on the same day at the same time,” Mr. Fifer said. “We just wanted to have some clearer lines for students navigating cumulative semester assessments.”
Fourth Former Colin Toth agreed that last year’s assessment format was challenging. “Because finals are lengthier exams, my two final tests were taken over two days,” Toth said. “I really did not like this format. Two days of finals for two classes was unfair.”
I really did not like this format. Two days of finals for two classes was unfair.
Colin toth
But Fourth Former James MacColl feels that last year’s environment was less stressful. “I thought taking the exams last year was not too difficult,” he said. “It was one long class period, and I took it and left, simple as that.”
Mr. Fifer believes that this year’s construct has long-lasting benefits. Alluding to Haverford’s mission of “Preparing Boys for Life,” Mr. Fifer said, “We wanted students to have practice with this designated exam format, a format that they will likely experience at some point in their collegiate experience… Most colleges have a designated exam period where students are sitting for some kind of summative cumulative assessments.”
While many colleges do have these exam periods, it is not uncommon for professors to assess students with papers or projects.
Some students feel that Haverford should follow suit. “I think teachers should have the say about whether or not their class has a [sit-down] final,” Fifth Former Zach Dixon said.
MacColl agreed. “Teachers should not be required to give sit-down exams,” he said. “Projects are just as impactful.”
Learning Specialist Mr. Stephen Cloran said that he recognizes the value—from college preparation to practicing time management and connecting information in a focused format—of the sit-down assessment in a week-long structure, but he also has concerns about the unhealthy pressure that exams bring, and wonders if summative exams are “really showing [students’] understanding, knowledge, and comprehension.”
“I don’t have a right answer,” Mr. Cloran said. “I think we need to be intentional with equal experience. We need to be careful in terms of execution because we want to be fair and just and equitable in terms of the academic experience of the students.”
The upper school administration is confident in its decision. “We realize that there are different modes of assessment that are valuable and that students have practiced with throughout the year,” Mr. Fifer said. “But given the fact that we’re giving time to a designated exam structure, we wanted to make use of this time by having students take a cumulative assessment. We’ve established a shared expectation that there needs to be this summative, sit-down assessment.”
That expectation is not the only facet of this year’s exams that has caused controversy. Final exams begin on Wednesday, May 29—just two days after Memorial Day. Students with five or even six intensive exams worry that they’ll lose the traditional Memorial Day Weekend vacation when many families travel before the final stretch of school.
Fifth Former Michael Crutchlow expressed that the timing of finals will add stress to “one of the best weekends of the year.”
“I’m going down the shore that weekend, and I plan on spending as much of my time as possible surfing and fishing—basically just trying to reset my mind before finals,” Crutchlow said. “I hope that I manage to study before that weekend, so I don’t need to spend much time on that while I’m at the beach. We’ll have to see if that actually ends up happening.”
MacColl is disappointed by the timing. “I think it is unfortunate that we have to have finals directly after Memorial Day weekend, but it makes sense why they have to happen that week,” he said.
Mr. Fifer acknowledged the unfortunate timing of the exam period but said that it is unavoidable. He also shared some of the scheduling decisions that the school has made to accommodate students as much as possible.
“We’ve built in two X-Day classes, Friday going into Memorial Day, Tuesday after Memorial Day… There’s no new material and no exams on those days,” he said. “We’ve tried to use the weekend strategically so that you got three [exams], and then a weekend, and then two. We’re not going five consecutive days of exams.”
This accommodation is meant to “position students” to adequately prepare for their exams.
It’s a life skill, it’s a life experience that we’re creating here.
Mr. stephen cloran
Mr. Cloran noted that, like the exams themselves, the Memorial Day dilemma serves to “Prepare Boys for Life.”
“It’s a life skill, it’s a life experience that we’re creating here,” he said. “Even over vacation, over an extended holiday weekend, you still have to find some time to do some work.”
Mr. Cloran offered some advice. “Open and read my email,” he said. “We created a slideshow that provides every possible tip to studying, managing time pressure, strategies… The ELC is ready, willing, and able to sit with any and every student that comes through the door here to support them in their preparation for exams.”
