Principal's Message

Dear RHS Learning Community,

First and foremost, we hope this letter finds you and your loved ones healthy and safe. We would also like to express our gratitude for how you have met the challenges and overcome the obstacles presented with our physical school being closed due to Covid-19 since March 13.

The challenges presented by remote learning have required the larger educational community to rethink many traditional practices such as standardized tests and final exams. In years past as the school year drew to a close, final exams have traditionally assessed content mastery of a respective class over the course of the year. However, due to our current circumstances and in light of Governor Murphy’s recent announcement that school will remain closed for the rest of the year, we do not believe it is fair or educationally sound to ask students to study for and complete a final exam as we do not feel that a final examination would be a reliable or valid assessment for any of our students. Not only can final exams create a lot of unwanted stress, but in this digital environment, the traditional final examination may not be the best approach to assess student growth as students do not have access to all of the supports that are in place in face to face education. Therefore, final exams have been canceled for the 2019-2020 school year.

As a result, a student’s final grade will be determined by averaging the grades from the 4 marking periods with each marking period grade counting as 25%. (Traditionally each marking period counted as 20% with the final exam making up the final 20%).

Additionally, by not holding final exams, we gain back instructional days. These days come from the allotted time to administer exams and time spent reviewing. Throughout this period of remote learning, and especially during the last six weeks of instruction, we aim to offer opportunities that inspire students to sharpen their Profile of a Ramsey Graduate competencies as they practice self-assessment, reflection, creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking. With the elimination of final exams, the last day of direct instruction will be June 19. June 22 & 23 will be used for completion of any last assignments and the collection of any make-up work to allow for the accurate finalization of fourth marking period grades and final averages. Here is a link to the updated schedule for the final six weeks of the school year.

In closing, we cannot thank you enough for partnering with us in modeling adaptability and empathy for our students during this time.

Sincerely,

Dr. Andrew Matteo, Director of Curriculum

Dr. Michael Thumm, Ramsey High School Principal

Mr. Ryan Esdale, Supervisor of 9-12 Education and Student Welfare