Montgomery County Will Do Away With High School Finals

ROCKVILLE, Md. (AP) -- Montgomery County education leaders are moving forward with plans to eliminate high school final exams, despite teachers' concerns.

The Washington Post reports the school board backed a proposal to get rid of exams in September, and reaffirmed its decision at a meeting last week.

Starting next school year, 45-minute quarterly assessments will replace two-hour semester exams. Officials say this will mean two more weeks of instructional time a year because there will no longer be special exam weeks when teaching stops.

Recent public comments submitted to the schools system show that more than 90 percent of 214 staff members oppose the move. Community reaction has been mixed.

District officials will update the school board in June and October about progress on the plan.