Students at the Upper School (US) are supposed to have no more than four major assessments per week and no more than two major assessments per day. These expectations are outlined in guidelines from US Assistant Director Katrina Fuller, which also specify the blocks in which teachers may schedule assessments.

 Despite these guidelines, students sometimes experience overloaded assessment schedules that exceed recommended limits.

 According to the All-School Student and Family Handbook, “to help students maintain an appropriately balanced workload, … they should have no more than two major assessments per day and no more than four major assessments per week. If a student has assessments beyond these guidelines, the student should notify the teachers so that the teachers can reschedule the assessment(s).”

 During the final week of each trimester, teachers can only schedule assessments during their long block class. However, some US students said they continue to experience weeks in which assessments exceed the limit.

 US Math Teacher Chip Rollinson said he usually checks in with his students because it’s impossible to know every student’s assessment schedule.

 “We don’t have a giant compilation of other classes’ assessments. I don’t have an idea of what other teachers are doing. Kids are in too many different classes, and that might be overwhelming for anyone trying to do that.”

 Mr. Rollinson works with students to adjust assessment schedules.

 “Students have to be as responsible as possible,” he said. “That means foreseeing when you’re going to have too much on your plate and letting teachers know. If a student emails me the night before an assessment, I’m like, ‘You should have foreseen what was happening a little.’ But I’m usually much more flexible the further in advance that a student has approached me about a conflict.”

 Mr. Rollinson said students can also speak with their advisors.

 “We want students to feel more empowered to talk to their teachers or advisor if they have more than two major assessments or assignments on the same day. We want to put students in the role of knowing what their rights are and know how to approach their teachers tactfully. If a student doesn’t want to ruffle feathers, their advisor should be able to help.”

 US History Teacher Scott Tang gives a week’s heads up before major assessments.

 “Aside from keeping in mind what is happening in English during Sophomore Debates and the Junior Profile, I do not take steps to avoid conflicts with other classes,” he said. “Teachers should have the freedom to manage their classes, including the pacing of learning and the timing of assessments.”

 Mr. Tang schedules assessments for his designated long block classes throughout the trimester.

 “Since they are during long blocks, my assessments technically have priority over others,” he said. “I might adjust the date for a particular student, but I also make clear that my assessment should not always be the one that is rescheduled.”

 Ria Nigwekar ’29 said overloaded assessment schedules increase her stress.

 “I will be compromising or giving up some of my sleep to study or get ready for those tests, and that increases my stress levels,” she said. “It’s just the idea of having to prepare for multiple things at once that gets rough mentally. I give up some of the time with friends and family to devote to studying.”

 Ria said she rarely tells teachers when she feels overwhelmed.

 “There’s a 90% chance I won’t tell my teacher when there’s too much work. ​​I normally don’t tell my teachers when I feel like it’s too much work, I just deal with it.”

 Erin Yu ’27 agreed.

 “I usually don’t like to talk to my teachers about workload because it requires a lot of rescheduling and time coordination,” she said. “I get a little nervous talking to my teachers about accommodations because it’s difficult to reach a shared understanding.”

 Erin has felt the effects of overcrowded weeks.

 “I’m consistently getting less than five hours of sleep even with a regular amount of homework, and major due dates on the same day can make this a lot worse,” she said.