An email passed through the desks of AP Physics I teachers about three weeks before the first day of finals, Friday, Dec. 18. The email was from the Math and Science Division Chair Ismael Zamora, regarding the possibility of a “no-harm” final exam.

After several meetings and discussions, students in AP Physics I may have the option to complete a packet in order to only count their score on the final exam if and only if it improves their semester grade.

“We decided, what is the purpose of a final exam?” Zamora said. “It is supposed to be to teach you what you need to know, what you understand and how you can apply it. It’s just another assessment to figure out where you’re at. So, why not try something where you cannot get any worse than you’ve already done, but you can only get better?”

In order for students to be eligible for this “no-harm” exam, they must complete a packet that reviews much of the semester’s AP-level content to a point of mastery, which is considered 80-percent accurate, Physics teacher Jim Mshar said.

Besides this opportunity to take the final at no risk, this policy also includes the opportunity to bump a student’s grade up if they score well on the final exam. The final will be graded like an AP exam and regardless of course grade, if a student receives what would be a 5 in the curve of the exam, then that student would automatically receive an “A” regardless of their grade. If they receive a 4 on the final, then they would receive a semester grade of a “B” and so on and so forth, Zamora said.

“If they’re actually doing the packet, it’s at the right level of difficulty to test their skills,” Mshar said. “If a student receives that high of a grade on the final exam, then we’re going to give them an “A” in the course because they have demonstrated that they know the material.

All of AP Physics I is trying out this policy as well as some of the prep Physics classes and one math class, according to Zamora. The AP Physics I department wanted to be uniform in their use of the policy, so the five teachers put it to a vote, which resulted in a 3-2 vote for using it. Physics and Astronomy teacher Kevin Murphy likes the policy and sees a lot of upside for other math and science classes to adapt to it.

“So if we’re giving a no-harm final, what is everybody else giving?” Murphy said.

While all but a handful of students are taking advantage of this policy, some feel that it is not fair to those who have labored rigorously all semester.

“Somebody who worked hard throughout the year and got an “A” and somebody who got a “D” and just studied a lot for the final can finish with the same grade and I just don’t think that’s fair,” AP Physics I student Tom Lynch ‘17 said.