On Wednesday and Thursday, Coppell High School administers fall semester exams in classes where students have more than three absences, less than an 85 average or disciplinary consequences.
The semester exams were initially put into place to improve attendance rates at CHS to increase funding for the district. Improving attendance by one percent would increase the district’s funding by approximately one million dollars.
According to history teacher Shawn Hudson, this semester more students are taking exams because of grade average requirements rather than truancy. Hudson did his own calculations to determine how many students are taking semester exams because of grades compared to attendance.
“It ranges from 200 to 400 more kids per class period who were on the list for grade average compared to those for truancy,” Hudson said. “It was really striking that there were whole columns of students where it was only grade average and very few for attendance.”
The grade policy was enacted in the spring semester of the 2024-25 school year, but many students in AP or IB classes were exempted due to taking AP or IB exams. That exemption does not apply for the fall semester of this school year.
“If you are going to have a class that’s really difficult to have a high grade in, it is likely to be an AP or IB class,” Hudson said, “[Exams] feel a bit like double jeopardy for students who are trying to keep their grade as high as possible.”
The semester exam policy rewards students who maintain high grades and attendance, but junior Gaurangi Pujari thinks this policy negatively impacts students already struggling in their classes.
“It is stressful [for students] who are just trying to maintain a passing grade in a difficult class,” Pujari said. “If they perform poorly on the exam, it does not put them in any better of a position.”
The root cause of this issue, according to Hudson, is the Texas Education Agency and state legislators.
“The frustration of these policies needs to be aimed at the TEA and state legislators who dictate our funding based on attendance,” Hudson said, “With our policy, [administration] tried something new and it did not work, so it is back to the drawing board.”
Follow Aashi (@_aashipanchal_) and @CHSCampusNews on X.
