Superintendent: high‑school midterm/final structure narrowed; some juniors eligible to skip finals

In his superintendent’s report, Dr. Alphonse said the district will change its high‑school midterm and final exam policy so those high‑stakes assessments—previously given more broadly—are reserved for Advanced Placement, dual‑enrollment, world‑language courses and selected core subjects.

“Midterm and final exams will not be administered in all courses,” Dr. Alphonse said, adding that the change was intended to reduce students’ assessment load and allow them to focus preparation on courses that are graduation requirements or college‑level work.

He also announced a new exemption rule for eleventh‑grade students: those who earn an average of 90% or above will now be eligible to be exempt from their final exam, an extension of a previous policy that had exempted only twelfth‑grade students and other narrowly specified cases.

The superintendent said the change responds to student and parent feedback about the junior year’s heavy demands—SATs, college applications and scholarships—and that the district published a list of courses that will retain finals. He noted that ninth‑ and tenth‑grade students will continue to sit traditional midterms and finals because schools view that testing experience as an instructional skill.

Dr. Alphonse also said students may submit elective and world‑language requests through the Genesis portal beginning during the current window and continuing through Jan. 19, and that incoming ninth graders will register after that window so counselors can assist.

What’s next: The district said it has published the specific list of courses affected and will communicate details via the district website and building communications; the superintendent invited further feedback from families and staff.