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St. Johns County schools superintendent: Students will get 100% on district's canceled finals

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — St. Johns County Schools Superintendent Tim Forson announced that all students in grades 6-12 will get 100 percent on the district's canceled finals.

"I have determined that students in grades 6-12 will receive the maximum value possible for the district final exam in the affected courses," Forson said in a letter to parents.

READ THE FULL LETTER FROM FORSON BELOW:

Dear Parents,
 
Last week I made the decision to cancel district-created and teacher-created final exams due to technical issues that could not be corrected in a timely manner. This decision does not apply to the following assessments: iReady, Florida Standards Assessment (FSA), state End of Course (EOC) exams, Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, Dual Enrollment or Cambridge AICE.

Given the decision above, I feel it is important "to do no harm" to student final grades for this year.  Elementary students' grades will not be impacted by the cancellation of these exams. After consulting with various school-based administrators, teachers and students, I have determined that students in grades 6-12 will receive the maximum value possible for the district final exam in the affected courses.  There are students who were counting on this opportunity to earn percentage points that could make a difference in their grades. We will give students the full benefit of the doubt and the maximum exam score (100%) will be provided in the affected courses.

Second semester final grades in the affected middle and high school courses will be calculated as follows:  The 3rd quarter and 4th quarter grades each maintain a weight of 45% to the final grade. The district final exam maintains a weight of 10% and maximum points will be given.  The district final exam portion of the grade will have the greatest impact for students who are within a point or two of the next higher letter grade (for example: with maximum points on the district final exam, a student with an 89,B, average will advance to a 90,A, for the final grade).

Again, I am sorry for this change so late in the school year, but feel it is the right decision for both students and teachers. Thank you for your support and I look forward to a positive close to the 2018-2019 school year.
 
Sincerely,
Tim Forson
Superintendent
St. Johns County School District