As semester exams approach, test preparation becomes more intense, and the excitement of students for their week of late-start days grows stronger. In past years, exam days are scheduled like LTMs, with classes beginning at noon. But this year, tardy bells will ring at 11 a.m. 59 minutes earlier than it has been before, when it rang at 11:59 a.m.

“Students are expected to arrive at school two hours later than regular school days,” assistant principal Leo Barrett said. “During last year’s exams, and on other LTM days, students were supposed to arrive three hours later than normal school days.”

The schedule change was made to accommodate longer testing times, but Dreyfoos students are not the only ones losing an hour to sleep and study. All Florida public schools have altered their testing schedules for this accommodation.

“We were informed by the school district that EOCs [End of Course Exams] have a special grading impact this year for students required to take the tests,” Mr. Barrett said. “So this year, the students required to take these tests will be given a longer period of time.”

Students in EOC classes (Biology I, Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, and Honors U.S. History) are tested according to their corresponding period. Every testing period is elongated, even for classes that do not have EOCs.

“In EOC classes, the exams are created by the district so they decide the time given,” science teacher Lois Wise said. “But for Biology, the actual test length [this year] is the same as last year so we don’t really know why the times are longer this year.”