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Unit 5 Updates Finals Exemption Policy

Mary Cullen
/
WGLT
Dan Lamboley, Unit 5 School District Director of Secondary Education.

The Unit 5 school board approved a change to its finals policy Wednesday, expanding final exam exemptions to include high school juniors.

Director for Secondary Education Dan Lamboley said the previous policy allowed seniors with an “A” or “B” grade and no more than six absences to opt out of finals for that class.

“What we’re proposing to start in spring 2020 is any junior or senior with an ‘A’ average in a class on the last day of the semester would be exempt from that final assessment,” he said.

Lamboley said eliminating the attendance requirement puts the focus on student learning rather than student behavior.

“I would say that if a student has some attendance issues, that will be reflected in their achievements,” he said.

Lamboley said putting the focus on achievement allows teachers to get a sense of who has mastered the material and who might need more help.

The students without an “A” average would take the exam, Lamboley said, and then focus on reinforcing the material they missed points on during the last few days of class.

He said teachers will be able to utilize the time around finals to best fit their teaching style and the needs of their students.

You can also listen to the full interview:

finals-full.mp3
WGLT's full interview.

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