Because semester final exams are upcoming, eligible students can request exemptions the week of December 7-13.
“Frankly, I don’t think that anything requires change,” junior Sean Bryce said. “I’m quite satisfied with the current (exemption) policy.”
Eligible students may request two exemptions per semester. You must have an unweighted semester average of 80+ and two absences in the class you wish to exempt. Exemptions are not guaranteed, and teachers ultimately have the final say in whether or not you receive them.
“I’ve always exempted my English or Science classes because they are generally more challenging for me,” Bryce said. “I’m sure that I’m capable of doing these exams, but I’d rather save my mental capacity and take exams that are easier to secure.”
Exemptions are lost if you receive disciplinary action (i.e. AC, BIC, ISS, or CHOICES) or if you absence fail a class. Specially-coded absences in Skyward like school-funded events, driver’s license appointments, or religious events don’t count against exemptions.
“If you act out or do something dumb, you should have to face the consequences,” senior Maxmillian Castillo said. “Taking away exemptions makes sense to me.”
The review and final for A-day classes are from December 14-15, while the semester review and final for B-day classes are from December 18-19. TCC classes will have their semester final exams during normal class time. Exams cannot be taken early.
“I think it’s good to give a small break in between finals to give time to rest and study,” Castillo said. “It does give those A-Day exams a little bit of a disadvantage because there’s not as much time to study for them. But other than that, I have no issues.”
Students taking AP classes will only receive an extra exemption for the spring semester if they meet exemption eligibility requirements.
“The Academic Associates have advocated that single semester AP classes receive an extra exemption for the semester in which they take the course,” academic associate principal Christy Miller said. “Currently, that has not been approved, so we are following MISD Grading Guidelines found in the Student Handbook.”