Timberlane decides to drop midterm, final exams

From the Eagle Tribune;

Timberlane decides to drop midterm, final exams

By Jo-Anne MacKenzie jmackenzie@eagletribune.com

PLAISTOW — Timberlane Regional High School's 1,500 students start a new school year today and it's going to be one like no other.

School administrators have decided to eliminate midterm and final exams, starting this school year.

Principal Donald Woodworth said the decision was five years in the making. This summer, the debate was only whether to implement the change this year or next.

"We felt we needed to get going," he said.

By making the change, Woodworth said, students and teachers will gain at least eight instructional days every school year. The school will do more assessment, not less, he said, but it will be done continuously and more effectively.

"It's an opportunity to be more responsive to students along the way," Woodworth said. "We'll have a better handle on what they know, when they know it and how to respond to what they need."

The school will still participate in state and national standardized testing — and teachers will still give tests, but there won't be all the emphasis placed on an exam worth 20 percent of a student's grade.

"We'll be able to get our assessments really focused on our competencies," Woodworth said, "and how we get every kid to be moving forward."

To help students move forward, the school also is adding reading and writing labs, places where students who struggle in either area can get extra help. Students can opt in on their own, and teachers, administrators, parents and guidance counselors can recommend a student work in one of the new labs. The labs will remain open until 3:30 p.m. every school day, well after the end of the traditional day at 2:10 p.m.

"As a building, we're trying to create more layers of support for students," Woodworth said.

He said he expects some students will object to the loss of the exam schedule — those two or three weeks a year when teaching stops and the whole school focuses on exams.

"I think a lot of them are going to be helped," the principal said. "Teachers will have more opportunities to tailor things to their learning styles."

Teachers were told this summer about the change, which will mean designing new ways of assessment and, perhaps, new teaching methods.

"I know there are some teachers who are working really hard right now getting ready to roll this out," Woodworth said Friday.

One of those is fifth-year French teacher Sandra Allaire, who was at school Friday.

"I'm in the process of digesting it. Any change is surprising and perhaps a little bit scary ...," she said. "But it's also exciting. ... I am definitely on board. I've been talking with colleagues and it will be a learning experience for us over the course of the year. From a teacher's perspective, we'll be able to use our planning time a little bit more effectively."

Allaire said the decision will affect both how she teaches and how she assesses student progress. She said exams, particularly at midterm, were often an artificial interruption of teaching and learning.

"We'll still be assessing the students," she said. "But rather than stopping at a certain time on the calendar, we'll be doing it when we feel the students are ready."

By no means does the decision mean Timberlane students won't have tests — they will.

"Many classes will continue to use these tests to determine the level of their students' learning and ability, and these tests will factor into their grades," Woodworth said. "Content knowledge will still be a significant factor in student assessment."

The School Board backs the decision to eliminate exams. In a prepared statement, board chairman Elizabeth Kosta said the board is encouraged by the efforts to meet all students' needs.

Woodworth said he anticipates many conversations with individual board members and parents as the news gets out.

On Sept. 28, he will host a "Coffee With the Principal" at 6:30 p.m. in the school library. That will give parents a chance to learn more about the change and its implementation.