By Jordan Bickham
Staff Writer

As the year wraps up, students become more and more eager to leave school and begin summer.  The one and only obstacle standing in the way of them beginning summer 2013 is finals.  While finals can be difficult and hard to juggle, one thing that can be helpful is exemptions.  Exemptions include many guidelines and restrictions, but looking into your absences and grade can pay off when you have the opportunity to begin your summer before school officially ends.

For juniors, the rules for exemptions differ from sophomores and freshmen as juniors take TAKS rather than the STAAR exam.  To begin, for students to even begin considering their eligibility, they must have an 85 average for the semester in their classes.  In addition, they must have no more than three absences and five tardies.  The last requirement when it comes to exemptions is their TAKS scores.  To get exempt from core classes, one must also pass the TAKS test for that class.  For elective classes, students must be commended on all their TAKS tests.

On the other hand, with the STAAR exam, freshmen and sophomores have different exemption rules and qualifications.  Similar to the juniors, sophomores and freshmen also are required to have an 85 average in their classes for this semester.  They also can have no more than three absences and five tardies.  But, without the TAKS and considering that many do not get their STAAR scores back in time, STAAR is not taken into account for exemptions.

Exams take place next week, so  figure out whether your exempt or not soon to start your summer off early with little stress!