Exemption time is here and no one wants to take a semester final. Students scramble to make appeals for absences and wonder, “What’s the big deal? Why do I have to take a semester final anyway? What is the point if I have attended class all semester and have a good grade point average?”

   At the end of each semester, students are allowed a certain amount of exemptions of semester finals based on specific criteria such as grade level and attendance. As exemptions draw near each semester, students usually have questions pertaining to the policies set in place. Principal Stephanie Traweek and Vice-Principals Victor Sauceda and Rachel Carter explain the process.

  ”Our exemption plan is designed to stimulate students to give their very best scholastic efforts. This plan guides our students to make good decisions for the real world situations that call for punctuality and good citizenship. This plan establishes the incentive of not taking finals for the courses in which they have maintained certain grade averages, work ethic, punctuality/attendance standards and behavior/discipline baselines,” the principals explain

  Finals are given at both high school and college level. It is a way to measure your mastery of the subject and used as a means along with other measures towards passing or failing the subject.

  “A final exam is a test that should contain a list of comprehensive questions related to content, skills, and knowledge that students must answer to prove mastery of the objectives or expectations set for them for the duration of an instructional term. A final exam also helps prepare students for the type of comprehensive examinations that they will take at post secondary institutions which often has a higher impact on their overall grades.”

  Finals are only a small part of your total semester average but necessary if the exemption criteria is not met.

  “According to the District Grading Guidelines, a final exam at Stephenville High School counts for 25 percent of the semester average,” according to the principals.