Students and teachers have been preparing all school year for spring exams though because of Covid, many of the exam dates have been moved around to provide a safe, comfortable testing environment for students. Most recently, in-school SAT for all juniors was moved to March 24 due to weather conditions.
Last year, STAAR and IB exams were abruptly cancelled but AP exams were monitored online.
The College Board was met with problems as many students were not able to turn in their exams on time or comfortably take it due to the high online traffic.
“None of these will be cancelled due to Covid this year,” Testing coordinator Sherry Weatherley said.
AP exams, which are scheduled for May, have had dates added by The College Board.
They are a mix of paper and online but some have the option to be taken at-home; the district has not decided on the requirements for students to do this yet.
Students who end up having to take the exam later online will not have makeup options. AP exams, even when online, will be full-length tests as opposed to the shortened AP exams,
“For AP exams we will strongly encourage the paper in-person exams so that students are guaranteed a good testing experience and get to take the exam on the first opportunity,” Weatherley said.
As for IB exams, they will be offered in person and the International Baccalaureate has reduced a few of the exams for this May 2021.
The IB has also announced a dual route meaning that a non-exam route is taken, assessing some tasks, like the lab reports.
“The IB program is in over 150 countries, and some countries and some states have not had face to face classes since March 2020 due to government regulations… ” IB coordinator Beth Hughes said.
“DHS is on the exam route since we have been open for business since September,”
STAAR tests have had a recent option added for connected learners in grades K-8. They can choose to opt out if they have the required documentation. This is because those are not tied to grade promotion or graduation requirements.
“For 9-12 students, the STAAR EOC exams are still required for graduation, so any Connected Learners who choose to not come take the test will have to take the missed tests on a future test administration date,” Weatherley said.
The most difficult aspect of planning testing this year has been planning for the Connected Learners. Safety and comfortable testing environments have been the main priorities.
“We want those students to have the same opportunities as the face-to-face students, so it is important that they are reading their communications from the school and their teachers,” Weatherley said.
Hughes encourages students to go to class, log into Canvas, and read their emails from herself or teachers several times before responding appropriately. She also understands the challenges faced this year.
“I am proud of them for hanging with us during a pandemic, snowstorm, and brand new way of delivering education. We have been co-learners in this process” Hughes said.Exam dates and times are still being monitored and subject to change.
Students should watch https://www.dentonisd.org/dentonhs and Canvas for more information. For updates https://sites.google.com/g.dentonisd.org/dhstesting/home?authuser=0.
