Haverhill High proposes flipped half-day schedule on MCAS days to reduce crowding and improve testing conditions

Haverhill High School administrators told the School Committee on March 13 that they plan to change the half-day testing schedule so students who take MCAS tests remain on campus for two longer morning blocks and testing for those students begins later in the day.

Administrators said the change is driven by space constraints, proctoring needs and the logistics of providing extended time and one-on-one accommodations for some students. They presented room counts and a proposed daily timeline and answered committee questions about equity and possible test fatigue.

School leaders said the current model brings test-takers in early for morning testing while other students arrive later, creating overlap and crowding when non-testing students return. The proposed model keeps the schoolday start time at 7:30 a.m., schedules two 90-minute morning blocks, dismisses non-testing students at about 10:15 a.m., and begins testing for grade 10 around 11:00 a.m., with a planned dismissal at 2:05 p.m. Administrators said students who need extended time will be accommodated; staff will remain with them until tests are completed.

"We want to meet the needs of our students that need those spaces, that want to do the best they can on MCAS," said Mr. Downs, principal, explaining logistical and safety concerns tied to overlapping classes and testing. Associate Principal Tori (surname not specified in record) gave room counts to illustrate the challenge: the high school needs about 34 testing rooms but has far fewer contiguous, usable testing spaces in practice. She said the largest wing has 28 classrooms but staff-sharing and mixed-grade rooms reduce available options.

The administration provided a detailed timeline of the current and proposed schedules: under the current model testers arrive about 7:30 a.m., testing runs about 7:45a.m. to 10:15a.m., with relocations for students…