BCPSS officials and Dr. Thornton, have removed the half-day, make-up schedule that high schools have used for years during mid-term/final exam marking period.

This half-day exam schedule allows:

* Students time to study and give full focus to their exams

* Teachers to properly grade exams and complete semester one grades

* Schools to prepare schedules and make any other necessary changes needed in preparation for the second semester.

Without the half-day schedule:

* Teachers will be expected to grade anywhere from 30-200+ exams after school and on weekends.

* Teachers will have zero time to prepare for second semester courses.

* Students will have attend classes with little meaning because they're expected to attend AFTER they've taken an exam.

* The school atmosphere will not have the quiet and seriousness needed to ensure high achievement on many City-wide created exams - the current schedule is only adding stress, tension, and disruption to teachers, staffers, administrators, and students.

Dr. Thornton needs to reinstate the the half-day, Friday make-up date schedule for all schools and for all mid-term/final exam days.