Expectations hurt.

Almost four months after the admin said it is up to the students when to take their final summative assessments (SAs), the sole basis for students’ final grades, a recent memo stated the schedule of final SAs for summer and first semester will now all be in December.

It can be recalled University President Fr. Joel Tabora, SJ said in July that “students have a say” when to take the final tests for the whole year, depending on their readiness. (READ: Tabora clarifies online educ policies, encourages students to continue self-paced learning)

Even before the memo was published, rumors about the news spread online, amassing strong reactions from students.

One user tweeted:

“grabe kabastos sa addu no? first, they start classes on june proclaiming they’re online ready when they’re NOT. second, despite the inconsistencies during 1st sem, they still made students pre register for 2nd sem classes which started nov 9 but SURPRISE, we still pay the same-”

Meanwhile, Nur Guimba tweeted:

“Just a quick question, why wouldn’t the university give full jurisdiction and flexibility to the deans or department chairs regarding the SAs of the students? I mean they know and understand more the complexity of the course and the trajectory that they should follow.”

Colt tweeted:

“You impressed us with concrete plans earlier this year, assuring that your demand for payment/assessments would grant our condition to learn with your beautifully crafted GRACE PERIOD which opted us for enrollment. All of a sudden, THIS! Isn’t this some kind of a deception, AdDU?”

One user speculated how the university made its decision.

“SABIHIN NATIN HEALTH BREAK PARA MADAMI MAG ENROLL. MAGBAYAD YAN SILA TAPOS TOUCH MOVE NA. TAPOS ANNOUNCE NATIN NA ITS A PRANK OH DBA GENYOS ATENEO THINKING”

The memo said the changes are “to help ease student’s final (SAs) backlogs”, citing many students enrolled in the second semester have pending final SAs from summer and the previous semester.

“The low turnout of students able to take the final (SAs) in courses enrolled in Summer 2020 (28.7%) and in the 1st semester of AY 2020-2021 (9.63%) has resulted to a considerable number of students enrolled this 2nd semester who have overlapping final (SA) in courses taken in Summer 2020 and in the 1st semester,” it read.

“Thus, the admin decided to (schedule) exams on December to clear backlogs so that students would not be burdened come second (semester),” SAMAHAN President Renz Lacorte tweeted.

A schedule matrix showed the SAs to be taken are set on different days, but all within December 1 to 18, just one week before Christmas Day. For more details, see memo.

Amending the online learning primer, students will be given three chances to take the final SAs, with a 500-peso fee required for every retake, and they must be completed before the start of the next semester.

SAs for the second semester will be taken right after the end of the semester.

Second semester began last November 9, with its first six weeks dedicated for non-academic activities “to provide everyone quality time to rest during the semestral break and to mentally, emotionally, and spiritually prepare for online learning and teaching for the second semester,” the university memo from October read.

The integrity of that memo will now be put into question as the said weeks for “quality time to rest” are hijacked by the new schedule for SAs laid out by the latest memo.

Formative Assessments will be replaced by Preparatory Assessments, and will now be included in the computation of the student’s final grade, heeding student calls from a survey last August. (READ: Ateneans ‘mostly dissatisfied’ with tuition fees, survey shows)