Finals Week Interview with Dr. Rowley

At the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA), finals week is often associated with endless stress. Therefore, efforts have been made to change the finals schedule, sparking controversy between students, faculty, and administration. 

By moving away from traditional finals, IMSA’s administration seeks to create a system they believes reflects students’ learning while addressing concerns about equity, mental health, and academic integrity. A new system was piloted in the fall of this year, with a schedule which spread class finals over a week, changing the previous finals format into a week-long series of tests and presentations. Although the shift was intended to benefit students, it was met with mixed reactions. Many students struggled with poorly managed deadlines for papers and projects, which were pushed later than expected. 

“I found it to be a lot more stressful because everything was due on the same day. Work just kept piling,” said Andrew Bae (’25).

The Acronym interviewed Principal and Chief Academic Officer Dr. Angela Rowley to learn more about the rationale behind the change to finals week and to understand what comes next for IMSA. 

Could you describe how IMSA decided to structure last semester’s final week schedule?

Dr. Rowley: So to go back even further, there were concerns raised coming out of how we have always done finals. When you put 100+ students into a big, cold, isolating gym, it is not an environment where students feel comfortable. I didn’t feel like that was an authentic representation of how well a student could do and how much a student actually knew in the class.

…and so for me… I don’t think we should ever, as a school, put students in a situation where they’re intentionally academically embarrassed.

And so looking at how we could revise that, there’s also a variety of different research out there on whether or not a final exam is an accurate representation of a student’s performance in the class. This research also questions high-pressure tests and how these elevated stress levels tend to impact historically marginalized communities differently.

From your position as IMSA’s Principal and Chief Academic Officer, how would you say students reacted to this schedule?

Dr. Rowley: I think what we didn’t do a good job [of] administratively was adequately managing deadlines for papers and projects. We heard a lot about this from students. With the changed semester schedule, humanities classes and those with final papers only pushed deadlines further. I will just own it—I realized that, and I assumed that they would be due earlier.

The other unanticipated negative consequence of the first semester was students sharing the amount of academic dishonesty that then occurred. There was a lot of exchanging of information, and it was still just unacceptable. We will look at how students did and review feedback from students over the summer. The honest responses from students about our levels of cheating will also be helpful to us. 

I expect this new schedule is going to be better than it was, and I am confident that we will try until we get it.

IMSA is truly a learning lab for other schools in the state.

What about teacher reactions to last semester’s final week schedule?

Dr. Rowley: I think we have some faculty who embrace the idea of what we could do differently. I also think there were faculty members who didn’t embrace this new plan at all. I met with one group that really advocated for the old final schedule.

I think that any time we’re in a culture shift, just like students, some deny change. Even through faculty, there’ll be more conversations soon. We’re having more discussions about learning outcomes for our course[s] and professional learning about assessment practices.

However, we looked at student scores, comparing last semester to the previous year. They weren’t very different. Now, I don’t know if that’s because the schedule didn’t matter or if that’s because there was more cheating.

How are you making sure that the student body’s voice is being incorporated into this decision?

Dr. Rowley: The most meaningful interactions have been the ones between our academic liaisons through IMSA’s Student Council. We decided to draft some things up based on certain information provided by these students to brainstorm potential plans that could work. 

In terms of making our decision to change the schedule, I talked a lot to students. For example, one told me about their experience while taking a test inside the gym. Instead of working on the task in front of them, they could only look around, look at how much time was left, look at how many people were gone, and question whether they should be done. These students and their anecdotes are what really stuck out to me and other IMSA administrators regarding making our school a safe and welcoming environment. 

What are some potential options that IMSA’s administration already has in mind for the schedule?

Dr. Rowley: Going into this next semester, we’re going to try again, as far as doing some revisions to the schedule. 

We’re not going to go back to the schedule we had a year ago.

We’re also not going to go back to what we did in December because that was not successful. What we’re looking at is a modified schedule on those final two days, with all of your [humanities] papers, projects, et cetera, due the week before, just like they had been for our juniors and seniors in years prior. Dr. Paul Gaszak, Dean of Academics and Equity, has created a draft schedule that the administration, faculty, and student council will review before spring break.

What time frame is the Principal’s office working with? When do you plan for the new schedule to be released to the student body?

Dr. Rowley: Definitely before spring break, but ideally before that. We have shared the structure to some degree, and I say some degree because it’s not exactly figured out yet. Some of the important factors that are going into this decision, though, are things like the last day of school, when move-out is, and faculty end dates. 

Is there anything else that you think would be important for the student body to know?

Dr. Rowley: We’re supposed to be the educational laboratory for the state, meaning there is that opportunity, if we can get it right, to be a demonstration for the entire state of Illinois. That’s why we hope to improve the schedule—not just for IMSA students, but for others who rely on IMSA.

Main Takeaways:

Although IMSA’s finals week reform was originally designed to improve mental health and grades within the community, the transition itself left students and faculty alike unhappy. From increased academic dishonesty to skipping meals due to overwhelming deadlines, the new structure left many arguing against its effectiveness in favor of the old system. 

Acknowledging these concerns, IMSA’s administration is working on new modifications through student recommendations, looking at changes like earlier project deadlines and longer breaks between exams to create a new experience for the end of the year. As IMSA continues to change its approach, its ultimate goal still remains the same: to create a finals schedule that allows students to truly display their learning, one that could also change Illinois’ expectations. 

As Dr. Rowley puts it, these recent changes come from embracing IMSA’s role as a learning lab for the state and the desire for students to demonstrate their best work.