Anonymous
Post 05/18/2026 14:00     Subject: Why are FCPS teachers giving finals and exams during AP week when school ends June 17
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Just a vent....my junior is taking 6 AP exams and so therefore, is missing 6 days of school and yet finals, quizzes and tests seem to be happening in a bunch of classes RIGHT now and so there is also a huge scramble to try to take extra exams after school in addition to studying for all tests.

Why do all of these exams need to be right now when school ends June 17? I get that some kids are seniors and need to do them earlier but this is putting so much undue stress on the juniors and it is unnecessary.

For a school system that pretends to care so much about mental health, this is NOT a way to show that you care.


Because the "we need to start early so kids can concentrate on AP exams" reasons offered for starting before Labor Day was all bulls---. My kid -who took many APs in HS, graduated last year- spent the last 3 weeks of school watching moving and doing nothing. After Memorial Day, little is done (including non-AP exams). They need to go back to that or end earlier.


I heard some rumors that some people won't come after this week despite there still being 15 days of school.
Anonymous
Post 05/18/2026 12:25     Subject: Why are FCPS teachers giving finals and exams during AP week when school ends June 17
Anonymous wrote:Just a vent....my junior is taking 6 AP exams and so therefore, is missing 6 days of school and yet finals, quizzes and tests seem to be happening in a bunch of classes RIGHT now and so there is also a huge scramble to try to take extra exams after school in addition to studying for all tests.

Why do all of these exams need to be right now when school ends June 17? I get that some kids are seniors and need to do them earlier but this is putting so much undue stress on the juniors and it is unnecessary.

For a school system that pretends to care so much about mental health, this is NOT a way to show that you care.


Because the "we need to start early so kids can concentrate on AP exams" reasons offered for starting before Labor Day was all bulls---. My kid -who took many APs in HS, graduated last year- spent the last 3 weeks of school watching moving and doing nothing. After Memorial Day, little is done (including non-AP exams). They need to go back to that or end earlier.
Anonymous
Post 05/16/2026 20:17     Subject: Why are FCPS teachers giving finals and exams during AP week when school ends June 17
99% of the time y’all scream that school is too easy these days, so what’s the problem?
Anonymous
Post 05/15/2026 15:51     Subject: Why are FCPS teachers giving finals and exams during AP week when school ends June 17
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My 9th grader has had finals in the following: history, geometry and biology!!!!

It is bonkers. The calendar is bonkers. The teachers are bonkers.



Of course your 9th grader has finals in core subjects.

They should have at least 2 more finals, in math and their foreign language.

What you are describing is the bare minimum, and is not what this thread is talking about.


DP. I think the point OP was trying to make is that their 9th grader has already had those finals with a full month remaining.
None are classes that I would expect any Seniors to be taking, thus no need to schedule so early.
Anonymous
Post 05/15/2026 13:33     Subject: Why are FCPS teachers giving finals and exams during AP week when school ends June 17
At least give the kids sitting in the classrooms a chance to earn some extra credit or something.

Can I take my 9th grader out for a trip the last week without him missing finals?
Anonymous
Post 05/14/2026 21:45     Subject: Why are FCPS teachers giving finals and exams during AP week when school ends June 17
So what are classes doing during the final exam period in June? We’re considering take DC out of school early for an event if there really are no final exams on those half days prescribed by the HS
Anonymous
Post 05/14/2026 20:09     Subject: Re:Why are FCPS teachers giving finals and exams during AP week when school ends June 17
Anonymous wrote:My kid had a big Algebra 2 unit test the same day as AP world test. Agree it's annoying, but I don't think the teachers can work around every AP test - there are so many and every kid in their class is taking different ones. I think part of taking AP classes is being ready to handle this sort of thing. College professors certainly don't coordinate with each other to make tests and papers due at different times.


This right here. I teach a class that’s not an AP class and is mixed grade level with 9-11th grade students. Some years I have seniors too. I don’t know what other classes they are taking and am moving ahead with my curriculum. I don’t give a final until the end of the year but I will give a test whenever we are done with a unit. Sometimes that falls around the same time as AP tests.
Anonymous
Post 05/14/2026 19:42     Subject: Why are FCPS teachers giving finals and exams during AP week when school ends June 17
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My 9th grader has had finals in the following: history, geometry and biology!!!!

It is bonkers. The calendar is bonkers. The teachers are bonkers.



Do the teachers create the schedule, or do they simply have to deal with it like the students do?


Whatever it is, I am sure we can agree that it is broken. Right?


Sure, but I’m not going to insult the teachers for something they aren’t responsible for. That seems a step too far, doesn’t it?


There is a responsible for scheduling their finals during AP exams. There’s a month more of school. I’m sorry they might have to *work* during the summer work days.


I’m a teacher in another district. I’m told when I must give my finals, and it’s during AP exams.

No teacher wants to sit with dozens of aimless teenagers for a month. That’s more stressful than you can possibly imagine. I doubt they are choosing to do this.

I know it’s fun to pick on teachers, but I recommend giving it a rest.
Anonymous
Post 05/14/2026 19:35     Subject: Why are FCPS teachers giving finals and exams during AP week when school ends June 17
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My 9th grader has had finals in the following: history, geometry and biology!!!!

It is bonkers. The calendar is bonkers. The teachers are bonkers.



Do the teachers create the schedule, or do they simply have to deal with it like the students do?


Whatever it is, I am sure we can agree that it is broken. Right?


Sure, but I’m not going to insult the teachers for something they aren’t responsible for. That seems a step too far, doesn’t it?


There is a responsible for scheduling their finals during AP exams. There’s a month more of school. I’m sorry they might have to *work* during the summer work days.
Anonymous
Post 05/14/2026 19:15     Subject: Why are FCPS teachers giving finals and exams during AP week when school ends June 17
Anonymous wrote:My 9th grader has had finals in the following: history, geometry and biology!!!!

It is bonkers. The calendar is bonkers. The teachers are bonkers.



Of course your 9th grader has finals in core subjects.

They should have at least 2 more finals, in math and their foreign language.

What you are describing is the bare minimum, and is not what this thread is talking about.
Anonymous
Post 05/14/2026 19:13     Subject: Why are FCPS teachers giving finals and exams during AP week when school ends June 17
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:If you’re worried about mental health, you should never have allowed your junior to take 6 APs.


The real issue is that FCPS has this stupid calendar that keeps kids in school through June.

Other states end with the AP exams.
other states start in the beginning of August too.


+1 the real issue is not keeping kids in until June. It’s assigning multiple projects, tests and quizzes near the AP exams.


ITA, why can't they be assigned after the AP exams since there are still 2-3 weeks of school left?


Because high school graduation starts early and seniors need to have had all the material and tests. So if there are seniors in the class, the end date is actually June 3 for our school. We have a June 4 graduation. I don't really understand why FCPS starts graduations so far before the actual end of the school year. My sophomore has 3 classes with a good amount of seniors so I imagine they'll be doing just about nothing from June 4-17. Great.


FCPS starts graduation 2 weeks before the end date because even running 3 graduations per day, it takes 2 weeks to get through all the high schools.
Anonymous
Post 05/14/2026 19:11     Subject: Why are FCPS teachers giving finals and exams during AP week when school ends June 17
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My 9th grader has had finals in the following: history, geometry and biology!!!!

It is bonkers. The calendar is bonkers. The teachers are bonkers.



Do the teachers create the schedule, or do they simply have to deal with it like the students do?


AP exams are a national/worldwide schedule.

Every AP student from northern Virginia to South Dakota to a military school on Okinawa takes the same AP exam on the same day at the exact same time. (8AM or Noon, based on your specific time zone)

https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/exam-administration-ordering-scores/exam-dates
Anonymous
Post 05/14/2026 19:05     Subject: Why are FCPS teachers giving finals and exams during AP week when school ends June 17
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My 9th grader has had finals in the following: history, geometry and biology!!!!

It is bonkers. The calendar is bonkers. The teachers are bonkers.



Do the teachers create the schedule, or do they simply have to deal with it like the students do?


Whatever it is, I am sure we can agree that it is broken. Right?


Sure, but I’m not going to insult the teachers for something they aren’t responsible for. That seems a step too far, doesn’t it?
Anonymous
Post 05/14/2026 19:04     Subject: Why are FCPS teachers giving finals and exams during AP week when school ends June 17
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My 9th grader has had finals in the following: history, geometry and biology!!!!

It is bonkers. The calendar is bonkers. The teachers are bonkers.



Do the teachers create the schedule, or do they simply have to deal with it like the students do?


Whatever it is, I am sure we can agree that it is broken. Right?
Anonymous
Post 05/14/2026 18:10     Subject: Why are FCPS teachers giving finals and exams during AP week when school ends June 17
Anonymous wrote:My 9th grader has had finals in the following: history, geometry and biology!!!!

It is bonkers. The calendar is bonkers. The teachers are bonkers.



Do the teachers create the schedule, or do they simply have to deal with it like the students do?