St. Charles High School is undergoing a shift in the way End of Course (EOC) exams are being conducted this spring. After reviewing the process from the past two years, SCHS administrators have implemented a new system aimed at improving efficiency and reducing stress for both students and staff.

Dr. Happel, principal at SCHS, explained the reasoning behind the change.

“We noticed some issues with how the previous years ran, especially with scheduling conflicts, tech problems, and just the general atmosphere during testing week,” Happel explained. “This new system is about creating a smoother experience for everyone involved.”

The End of Course Exams are a Missouri State-wide test to examine how well the students of a given school are performing. The EOC Exams determine how much funding the school may receive, and how well the administrators of the school seem to be doing. EOC Exams are very important for the future of schools, and thus there is much importance around them.

One of the major updates includes the reduction of EOC testing from three weeks down to one week. The administration hopes this will help students perform better and ensure that the regular schedule is not affected too much.

Assistant Principal Dr. Closson also shared this sentiment, and as to why the change took place.

“We’re trying to minimize the disruption to students’ normal schedules,” Closson said. “The old format took 3 weeks to complete, and took up a lot of time from teachers and students to engage in the normal curriculum.”

Teachers have been adapting to the change as well, including Mrs. Kilker, who helped spearhead the changes this year.

“There’s definitely been a learning curve with how we organize and communicate everything,” Kilker said. “But overall, it feels like a step in the right direction. We’re hopeful students will feel that too.”