news Plans for AP tests still undecided
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s testing season nears, Palo Alto Unified School District, as of print time, has yet to announce plans for the May Advanced Placement tests. On Feb. 4, the College Board stated that schools would decide when and how to test students. This means PAUSD will choose if students take the digital test or paper and pencil test and whether students complete the exam at home or on campus. In December, PAUSD released its plans to administer the SAT to the Class of `22, but did not state whether it would also be possible to bring students on campus for AP tests. Unlike last year, the AP exams will be full length, closed note and will cover all the material taught in the course in a normal school year. Senior Emma Wu took three AP tests online last year and said that taking the shortened exam online went smoothly. However, because this year’s tests will not be abbreviated, Wu has her concerns. “I’m not really looking forward to full-length tests online,” Wu said. “I think they could still offer an abridged version because testing online and in-person for three or more hours are both terrible options.” Wu also says that College Board must take strides towards improving technology issues in 2021. “I remember some people had issues with the program saving their responses [for their AP tests] and they had to retake theirs later,” Wu said.
by ANYA MONDRAGON
10 FEBRUARY 2021
RE-TRYING REOPENING — Superintendent Don Austin discusses a plan to bring secondary students back onto campus for “Zoom in a room” at the Feb. 9 Palo Alto Board of Education meeting. “We expect to return Grade 7-12 students in early March if we reach the red tier for the required amount of time, which is five consecutive days,” Austin said. Photo: Akhil Joondeph
Secondary students to return
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ISTRICT STUDENTS in grades 7-12 will be allowed to return to campus on March 1 if Santa Clara County is in the state’s red tier of pandemic risk for five consecutive days, according to Superintendent Don Austin. At the Palo Alto Unified School District board meeting on Feb. 9, Austin announced plans to allow all interested students back on campus to do “Zoom in a room.” Students with last names beginning with A-L will be on campus for two days a week, and students with last names beginning with M-Z will be on campus the other two days. The student split is tentative. Students will not be required to commit to the on-campus learning option, and will be allowed to decide which of their allotted days they will attend class on campus and which days they will stay home. All teachers will be required to return March 1 or the day after Santa Clara County returns to red tier. “The plan would accommodate every student — grades 7 through 12 — who wants to be on campus, and requires no change of schedule or teacher, covers all, not just a couple classes, and is done with robust safety measures,” Austin said. Parents and teachers had varied opin-
ions on the plan. Frank S. Greene Jr. Middle School art teacher Paul Gralen expressed his concerns. “I want nothing more than to be back in the classroom with our students, but I want to do it safely,” Gralen said at the meeting. “Putting anyone into a crowded and closed environment for six to eight hours per day at this point in time is the height of irresponsibility.” Austin did not discuss specific health and safety protocols at this meeting, but stated that more details are to come. He used hybrid learning in PAUSD elementary schools as an example of why the board believes it is safe to move forward with the secondary school opening plan. “We’ve been back since October with over 2,100 students — we’ve not had to close a single school and we have not had [COVID-19] spread within a school,” Austin said. “We have had cases of COVID because COVID exists in the community, in our state and in our country, but the lack of spreads speaks to the protocols that we have in place.” In the coming week, a survey will be sent to students and parents regarding if the model is of interest. by PAISLEY ANNES
