From Sep. 30 to Oct. 20, seniors will have a period of no tests or homework to allow them to focus on their college applications. 

While a minimal workload is perfect to allow for time to work on applications, there are dangers to this policy. The fact that seniors will have fewer assignments in the gradebook means that early grades received in courses hold disproportionate weight in a student’s overall grade. Oftentimes, it can take a couple of assessments for a student to find their footing in a course, but that is not an option for seniors, as Early Decision schools request grades in mid November. 

The outlined period includes many erev holidays with no school, and has many no homework nights already. Therefore, it might benefit seniors to have assignments during regular days in October to give them an opportunity to boost their grades. While the senior class appreciates this policy, it requires seniors to be incredibly intentional and careful with each assignment they hand in before and after the three-week no-assignment period, making each test and homework much more stressful.