Option for final exams back on the books for SCDSB schools
End-of-semester culminating activities will return to secondary schools in the Simcoe County District School Board (SCDSB) for the 2024-2025 school year.
Culminating activities may include final exams, but can also take the form of tests, essays, performances and presentations designed to measure student learning. In the current school year, exams for Semester 1 were scheduled for December, while the semester actually continued through the month of January.
In a recent presentation to the board’s Program Committee, retired Collingwood Collegiate teacher Brian Feldman called on the board to move the assessments to the end of the semester saying that local students were being placed at a disadvantage because they didn’t gain the experience of prepping for and writing final exams.
While much has been made of the importance of feedback and recovery days as a learning tool, Feldman believes that many students see them as free time at the end of the semester.
“I’m retired from teaching but I still have contacts within the schools. They tell me that fewer than 10 per cent of students attend school on feedback and recovery days.”
Feldman presented a petition with more than 1,700 signatures from parents, students and educators supporting his request.
A motion was passed at a Feb. 14 meeting to designate four days near the end of each semester for culminating activities, followed by “feedback, recovery and improvement days,” when students can review their results and identify areas for improvement.
Superintendent Greg Jacobs told the meeting that a request for feedback on the draft calendar yielded 668 responses, with most of the feedback related to scheduling of culminating tasks. Of the responses received, 51 per cent were in favour.
An amendment which would have labelled the designated days as “Exam Days” in the school calendar was defeated as being too restrictive.
The 2024-2025 school year will begin on Sept. 3 and include 187 instructional days including days designated for culminating tasks and feedback.
