CVHS new retake policies arise

In life, how often does a person get second chances? The Olympian wonders how this question applies to CVHS, as each education department is being pressured into making a uniform test retake policy with the basic condition that there has to be a retake of some kind.

The new policies are interesting, allowing more freedom for teachers to decide the requirements for their retakes. Many factors go into this decision, and we here at The Olympian support it — with conditions.

The proposition is: retakes will be required in each department, but the requirements are very flexible. The goal is to have teachers work together to make a plan and have them in place by the next school year.

The new pending policies vary across departments, from social studies which will offer a minimum of one retake per semester after “evidence of further review efforts by the students,” to the CTE policy which will give at least one retake on any test grade lower than a B. These policies range and are by no means similar, providing a different education experience in each department.

A big concern for this new development is the possible (and likely) decrease in initial motivation in students who know they are promised a retake no matter what. This can stress teachers and increase their workload for students who neglected to properly study for their initial test. On the other hand, there is no coordination between teachers on test days. A student could have three tests in one day and feel the need to prioritize the class they have the lowest grade in.

The solution to both of these issues is to offer the required retakes, and have specific requirements for students to qualify for them. For example, the science department will require for students to show completed notes before retaking a test.

To answer the initial question, people don’t often get second chances. However, it should be rewarded to people who work hard for it and show commitment to improvement. We firmly believe that retakes are fair and important to offer, but it is also crucial that they are limited and managed in order to decrease the workload for teachers while also increasing the motivation of students.

These new policies will be implemented by next year if everything goes as planned, and we look forward to the improvements in students’ mindsets and their grades that can come from it.