"The kids get to have fun and we are stuck thinking what are we going to do when we get back, when are we going to get back, how we are going to modify what we are doing in the classroom to make sure we fit and end at a point where they'll be prepared for that test,” said Strafford High School English teacher Valerie Goodpaster.
Goodpaster's English 1 students are getting ready now for their end-of-year exams. The principal moved them back to the new last day of school.
"We pushed all our end-of-course testing back basically seven days,” said High School Principal Brett Soden.
It will give students more time to prepare. The end-of-year tests weigh into high school students’ grades. The MAP test for the younger students does not.
"You just have to work harder to get them covered,” said Middle School Principal Marci Chadwell.
Chadwell says 10 days off while trying to get kids ready for the MAP tests can be scary.
"We're always concerned, snow or not, but, absolutely, we’re trying to stay focused on doing the best we can,” she said.
Her younger students’ grades might not be riding on the test scores but state funding and how the district measures up does ride on them. That's why back to class is best; now teachers just hope it will last.
"I just want to get through the school year because we want our summer break; we want to get to the end of the year and we want to make sure we're prepared for the end-of-course exam and finals, for all of that stuff and all these snow days just popping up is really kind of affecting that," said Goodpaster.
The state requires each school district to make up the first six days missed beyond the six extra days it must build into its school calendar; then it’s required to make up only half of the rest until it reaches a total of 10 make-up days.
