2 DC-Area School Districts Moving Away From Final Exams

ROCKVILLE, Md. (AP) -- Montgomery County's school board has backed a plan to end final exams in middle-school level courses and is looking closely at a proposal to scrap high-school finals.

The Montgomery County Board of Education voted on Tuesday to endorse interim superintendent Larry Bowers' plan for middle schools. The school board says it will consider phasing out high-school final exams, possibly beginning as soon as the spring semester for the 2015-2016 school year.

Board president Patricia B. O'Neill said in a statement that the decision was made in order to preserve more instructional time for students.

In Loudoun County, Virginia, the school system recently made a move in the same direction. Last week, the school system announced that high school teachers were no longer required to give midterm and final exams.