| False alarm prompts some test takers to evacuate | | Print | |
| Written by Lydia O'Connor | |
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Students will be retaking Advanced Placement tests after being interrupted by a fire alarm. The alarm went off for four minutes and 38 seconds during the AP Spanish and AP Computer Science exams on Tuesday, May 6 during mods 9/10. Construction workers set off the fire alarm while testing fire hydrants, which caused a water pressure drop. AP coordinator Steve Granucci ordered the Computer Science students to be evacuated since their exam was a pen and paper test and could be continued after the alarm ended by simply adding the missed time onto the test after they were allowed back in. Because the alarm went off during the listening portion of the Spanish test, which cannot be restarted once the test begins, the students did not evacuate. “We continued with the test as if the alarm didn’t go off,” senior John Eugenio said. “We didn’t evacuate the room or even move from our seats.” Not vacating for the alarm violates school procedure, however Grannuci explained that after examining the science building by looking up and down the halls and not smelling or seeing any smoke, he determined that there was no apparent danger. He then called Educational Testing Services, which he said he is supposed to consult in these kind of situations, ETS told him to continue the exam so that the students wouldn’t lose all their work. The alarm interfered with students’ ability to listen to the audio exam. “We were all in the middle of the listening section of the exam and the alarm went off for a good portion of one of the sections,” junior Christine Revelo said. Some students were very upset by the disruption. “I took off my headset to wait for instructions, so I missed that (section),” Revelo said. “I filed a grievance with the AP program online and am going to send a letter to the school.” Revelo is still waiting to hear back from the AP board. Most students said they do not plan to take a makeup test. “The day after the test, we discussed the possibility of a make-up test, but we felt that it is unnecessary,” senior Riza Kumar said. “The exam indicates the end of the course, and we all felt that after taking the exam for more than four hours, we were all through. If they are to give us a make-up, the AP program coordinator … should consult the students first.” Granucci said there are “about six students” who have decided to retake the exam, though he says there were initially more but many have been changing their minds. Granucci will be filing an irregularity report with ETS, which will allow them to monitor the exam’s results. |
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to listen.
