The math grades of countless students may soon change. On Monday, May 18, Department of Education K-12 Chancellor Herschel Lyons announced that the scores for Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry EOCs would not be announced until December of this year.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, Lyons cited the fact that an independent review of the test’s validity would not be completed in time for report cards in June as the reason for this change. In addition, some scores had already been invalidated before Monday due to some schools giving out improper calculators.

According to a statement posted on the OHS school website, students’ Semester 1 average in Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry will be calculated using grades from quarters 1 and 2, plus the midterm grade; the Semester 2 average will be calculated using the grades from quarters 3 and 4, while the final grade for the year will use the Semesters 1 and 2 average. The statement also said that these guidelines are “only applicable to this transitional school year and summer (2014-15).”

Among teachers, the news has not been positively received. Mr. Gunnin, Algebra II teacher, was not pleased with the news. “I am frustrated,” Mr. Gunnin said. “The amount of time spent lesson planning and researching the new standards was tremendous. I knew something would have to happen because we had been told that the tests would not be validated until December and we would not be able to produce final grades.”

Ms. Richey, Algebra and Geometry teacher, also commented on the news. “I wasn’t incredibly shocked,” Ms. Richey said, “since this happened to us in Geometry a few years ago. The Geometry EOC wasn’t counted after the students and teachers worked so hard during the year.” Ms. Richey further explained that the EOC results would still count for students who did well, but would not count for students who did not do well.