At St. Mary’s in high school, the test calendar is intended to help manage student workload by limiting each day to two tests. On paper, the system is clear and fair. In reality, it falls short for both students and teachers.
Many students have experienced days where multiple assessments pile up despite the calendar’s supposed limits. Omran, a 10th grade student, said it feels “more like a guideline than a rule,” explaining that it is not always followed consistently across classes and that some assessments are not clearly included, making it harder for students to keep track.
Some assessments are not added at all, often because they do not take up a full class period. Others are listed unclearly, sometimes combined into a single entry or placed between classes, making it difficult to understand the actual workload.
At the same time, the system is not always clear for teachers either. Without a consistent definition of what counts as a “test,” teachers are often left to interpret the rules on their own. One teacher said, “It is not well established what counts as a summative assessment versus a formative one. I generally consider tests to be summative assessments at the end of a unit, and I differentiate those from smaller reading quizzes or checks of understanding. I don’t see open note quizzes as conflicting with larger tests, but that difference in interpretation has caused confusion.”
They added that the issue reflects a broader problem: “The fact that we’re having this conversation is evidence that there is a lack of clarity that should be addressed.”
As a result, the system becomes difficult to rely on. A tool meant to reduce stress can end up creating more when expectations are inconsistent across classes.
Ultimately, the issue comes down to unclear and inconsistently applied guidelines. If the test calendar is going to work as intended, it will require clearer definitions and stronger coordination among teachers. Otherwise, it risks becoming less of a solution and more of a formality.
