After a lengthy discussion with stakeholders, BISD Superintendent Dr. Darrell Brown, and the superintendent’s Cabinet approved the recommendation to suspend first semester exams in December 2020. The rationale behind this decision was to recapture valuable instructional time typically spent in review and use that time instead to cover content and skills that students missed due to COVID–19 school closures. Data shows that our students have lost valuable instruction, and the gaps in academic performance are real. Thus, this redirection of valuable instructional time is one way to regain lost ground.