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from finals if their grades are good enough? Our exemptions just got taken away and boy are we pissed bout it, but our principal says with exemptions, the school's students look worse to colleges because not taking finals in senior year is supposedly a bad thing?! It sounds like bullcrap to me, I was wondering what you guys know about the subject.

By Doubleplay263 (Doubleplay263) on Wednesday, December 10, 2003 - 09:59 pm: Edit

In my school, everyone (including seniors, regardless of grades) has to take finals. In most AP classes, however, teachers give "Alternate Assesments" instead of finals, so you end up writing a short paper instead of sitting through a final.

But GForce, if your into college before finals, what are you sweating it for?

By Dimples247 (Dimples247) on Thursday, December 11, 2003 - 01:01 am: Edit

At my school, juniors and seniors can get exam exemptions in the 2nd semester only. The grade you have to get depends on how many absences, for example if you have 2 absences in the 2nd semester you have to have a 90 or better. It's really nice to not have to worry about exams after the AP tests. I don't know about colleges caring, but I doubt that they would, after all- it's not the student's fault.

By Gforce007 (Gforce007) on Thursday, December 11, 2003 - 01:44 am: Edit

see the thing is though, Im not into college yet and from what I've heard, colleges continually check your grades throughout the year, I know one kid who got into unc(my dream school, I hope I get in), but slacked off the rest of the year and actually had his admission denied at the end of the year because of his grades. So if I cant be exempt from finals, it's a HUGE deal. Im only taking 2 AP's but studying for them is gonna be a huge deal and studying for other finals on top of that? thats why my senior class is so pissed we just lost exemption. I think that you're right, by the time Id have to take my finals, Id be in college anyway but Id still be under pressure to perform extremely well, especially after having taken the ap's. And worst of all, our principal decided to be a total assclown and mandate that our AP classes have a real final in addition to the AP. My principal definitely has to be pulling something out of his ass, you guys are right, it makes no sense to knock a student for not taking finals, especially when he/she has already gotten into college. Im gonna bring this up to him and see how he can slither his way out of this one.

By Muzicgal04 (Muzicgal04) on Thursday, December 11, 2003 - 05:33 pm: Edit

Our seniors dont have to take finals if they go on project ( a month long internship/learning experience)...however, to qualify for that, you must have all c's or high, and no more than 7 excused absences in any class....so it is kind of an exemption

By Cutie911 (Cutie911) on Thursday, December 11, 2003 - 05:45 pm: Edit

our seniors don't have to take finals if they have an A or higher

By Wonderasiwander (Wonderasiwander) on Thursday, December 11, 2003 - 07:51 pm: Edit

We have exam exemptions for all grade levels at my high school. All you have to do is earn an A in a class and you can have the teacher sign a form and voila! You can exempt it. Except you can only exempt one. In wisconsin they have state-wide sophomore testing and this year the administration is bribing them by saying that if they get advanced in a subject on the test they can exempt the final in that subject the next year. Which makes no sense because if you earn advanced in math at a 10th grade level, how is that equivilant to a trig-pre/calc class at the junior level.?

By Tanman (Tanman) on Thursday, December 11, 2003 - 08:11 pm: Edit

My school has exemptions for all grades. We have six classes per day and freshman get 1 exemption per semester, sophomores 2 per semester and juniors 3 per semester. Seniors get 3 exemptions in the first semester and 6 in the second. Of course, this is only if you have a B average and 3 or less absences for each class.

By Ughstinkysocks (Ughstinkysocks) on Saturday, December 13, 2003 - 09:55 am: Edit

freshman, sophmore, juniors, can exempt 2 classes if they have 0 absences with a 80, 3 absences with a 85, or 5 absenses with a 90... senioirs can exempt all 6 classes if they are passing...

By Gforce007 (Gforce007) on Saturday, December 13, 2003 - 01:05 pm: Edit

alright, well it seems we're getting exemptions back after the alumni threatened to cut off funding LOL. thanks for all the informative replies guys. this story had a happy ending

By Rowan (Rowan) on Saturday, December 13, 2003 - 05:42 pm: Edit

Lucky.

Our AP teachers still get away with those crap "final projects" to replace a paper test. Worried that it may be taken away, however, because we have a new principal who is fond of taking out the two-minute warning bell (that is, we used to have a bell in passing period telling us we had two minutes to get to class), tightening the dress code, reducing parking priveleges even though there is already only enough parking for 1/3 of the senior class (set more aside for "visitors") and reinstating the "senior project" requirement (a totally useless but time consuming project that requires students to research a desired career, create a presentation on it and present it to a committee for a grade; useless because most students cop out because we live in a small town with VERY little job diversity).

Sigh.

By Drago (Drago) on Sunday, December 14, 2003 - 04:29 pm: Edit

My school grants exemptions for seniors if:

1) They maintain an A average in a C2, C1, or Honors coarse. (Meaning, by the end of the year the grade is an A)
2) They maintain an A- Average in an AP course.

However, it's really up to the teacher. for instands, people taking psycology never have a final because the teach doesn't want it. In AP Physics, no one is exempt, etc.

I don't see how it would "look bad" to colleges if you are exempt from taking finals, because you usually get into college before senior finals. And, since an exemption isn't failing, I see no reason why they'd reject you.

Personally, I think exemptions don't look bad at all.

drago

By Xtech (Xtech) on Sunday, December 14, 2003 - 05:05 pm: Edit

At my school you have to have a 90+ in an Honors or AP class or have an 85+ in an AP class and take the exam in order to be exempted from Finals.

By Fiza (Fiza) on Monday, December 15, 2003 - 07:59 pm: Edit

If we have a 80 somethign or higher AND dont miss more than 2 days of school second semester, we get exempt.

By Kewkiekid (Kewkiekid) on Monday, December 15, 2003 - 08:23 pm: Edit

my school's never heard of exemptions, i wish they did!

some classes don't really have finals though, especially after AP exams.

By Insanity (Insanity) on Saturday, December 20, 2003 - 11:14 pm: Edit

My school is awesome in this respect.

We have a citizen of the year program.

If you get zero detentions or suspensions throughout the year, you don't have to take any finals as long as your grade is at least 83%.

You are allowed to make up 1 dentention thru community service.

By Anjel0ve (Anjel0ve) on Sunday, December 21, 2003 - 12:07 am: Edit

juniors and seniors get 2nd semester exemptions if they have above 85 for their 6 wks averages at our school =)its the only thing i look forward to when spring comes around

By Singergirl (Singergirl) on Sunday, December 21, 2003 - 12:22 pm: Edit

In my school district anyone can exempt up to 2 exams each nine weeks no matter what year your in.

But the requirements are that you
(a)can only have two absences, both of which are excused
AND
(b)have at least a "b" in the class that you wish to exempt.

By Okieman1200 (Okieman1200) on Sunday, December 21, 2003 - 02:02 pm: Edit

We have Senior Exemptions and no one seems to mind. I don't understand how your principal can argue that colleges don't like it. In most cases you're in college already by the time finals roll around in May. And in my case no one knows that you have an exemption, your average is merely entered in as your final exam grade so to a college admissions person looking at a final HS transcript he won't know that I didn't take a final in most of my classes.

By Celebrian23 (Celebrian23) on Monday, December 29, 2003 - 05:59 pm: Edit

OMG! your schools exemption requirement are so much harder than my school's. At my school, you can exempt all your final exams if your a senior as long as you have a D or higher average in each class

By Athlonmj (Athlonmj) on Monday, December 29, 2003 - 06:01 pm: Edit

At our school, exemptions are granted to Seniors in any class as long as they have an A for both quarters (of the semester).

Now we're pushing exemptions for Juniors, but that will surely get shot down, hehe, at least it's worth a try.