Long Island Regents Prep

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Regents, AP, and SAT Blog

Hello! Thank you for visiting our Regents, AP, and SAT review blog.

From now on, all blog posts will appear on the Official Long Island Regents Prep Blog.

Enjoy!

Last Chance to Take the Current SAT Exam

Right now, many high school juniors are deciding whether to take the current SAT exam, which has only two remaining administrations, in December and January, or to wait for the New SAT to debut in March 2016. The current SAT, with its focus on critical reading, writing, and mathematics is familiar to most students. There are countless review resources, including practice questions, review books, SAT prep classes, and online materials.

The New SAT, however, is largely a question mark. Despite the publication of review materials designed for the New SAT, students won’t have a full autopsy report until after the first group of students conquers the exam next March. According to the College Board, which publishes the SATs, changes in the New SAT include the following:

All-new essay — and it’s optional
No penalty for guessing
No vocab that you’ll never use again
4 parts: Reading, Writing and Language, Math, and the optional SAT Essay
400–1600 score scale
3 hours and 50 minutes with the SAT Essay — or 3 hours without it
4 answer choices for each question

A recent article in Forbes cautioned students against taking the New SAT because there are so few practice questions, the score reports won’t be available until May 2016, and the exam is similar to the ACT. Students, however, should decide for themselves which SAT to take.

Test-prep guru Gary Gruber has developed a diagnostic tool to help students figure out which SAT test is best for them. According to Business Insider, “Gruber contends that he knows which exam students should take to ensure they get the highest possible score…. Gruber went on to explain that students who were more inquisitive and could pick up on nuances in questions will do better on the old version of the SAT. The new SAT and the ACT — the other major standardized test students take — are very similar in terms of content and questions, according to Gruber.” Students can access this free SAT Diagnostic Exam here.

Long Island Regents Prep is busily preparing its New SAT review materials in anticipation of the March 2016 changes. In the meantime, though, students can register for our January 17 SAT Crash Course in preparation for the final administration of the current SAT exam. Students should sign up early for our Long Island SAT review classes at Farmingdale State College.

Long Island SAT Review Classes at Farmingdale State College

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Helping Students Prepare for the Big Test

Long Island Regents Prep Announces 2015 Regents, AP, and SAT Review Classes

(Farmingdale, NY) Long Island Regents Prep, which offers Regents, Advanced Placement, and SAT review classes in all major subjects, has announced its 2015 course schedule. Their courses are designed and taught by certified and experienced teachers who understand how to prepare students for their exams and how to reduce the anxiety that comes along with high-stakes testing.

Over the past five years, Long Island Regents Prep has helped nearly 2,000 students in New York prepare for their Regents, AP, and SAT exams. In other words, their teachers have provided approximately 12,000 hours of class instruction. Because Long Island Regents Prep offers exceptional test preparation, their course registrations continue to grow at rate of almost 200% each year, largely due to word-of-mouth recommendations.

Since 2009, Long Island Regents Prep has offered one-day Regents review courses for each of the major subjects, including Living Environment, Earth Science, Chemistry, Physics, Global History and Geography, United States History and Government, Integrated Algebra, Algebra 2/Trigonometry, and Geometry. Each class covers essential subject matter, offers test-taking strategies, and reviews practice Regents questions.

In 2013, Long Island Regents Prep decided to expand its course selection and begin offering Advanced Placement review classes in AP United States History, AP World History, AP European History, AP US Government and Politics, AP Psychology, AP Calculus AB, AP Biology, AP Physics B, AP Chemistry, and AP Environmental Science.

Last season, Long Island Regents Prep introduced SAT Crash Courses, one-day review classes offered the weekend before each spring SAT exam. There are three courses to chose from: SAT Critical Reading/Writing, SAT Math, and SAT Math/Critical Reading. All SAT Crash Courses will be taught by certified teachers who attended elite universities and excelled on their standardized exams. In addition, courses will include a custom SAT workbook that students will use during the class and bring home with them.

Long Island Regents Prep Long Island Regents Prep was founded in 2009 by Michael Graziosi, Brad Seidman, and Dr. Dennis Urban, full-time social studies teachers on Long Island, New York. After preparing hundreds of their own students for NY State Regents Exams and AP Exams, they realized that students sometimes needed review beyond what was offered in the classroom. So they have created clear, concise, six-hour review courses that provide students with the content, skills, and confidence they need to excel on their standardized exams. Finally, all classes are taught by experienced, highly-qualified, New York State-certified teachers in comfortable, state-of-the-art classrooms on the campus of Farmingdale State College, a State University of New York (SUNY) institution of higher learning. Students can register online quickly, easily, and securely by visiting http://www.liregentsprep.com.

What:

Regents Prep classes, AP Review classes, and SAT Crash Courses

Where:

Farmingdale State College (Gleeson Hall)
2350 Broad Hollow Road
Farmingdale, NY 11735

When:
AP Review Classes –May 3 & 9, 2015 (9:00AM –4:00PM)
Regents Review Classes –June 13, 14, & 20, 2015 (9:00AM –4:00PM)
SAT Crash Courses –April 26, & May 31, 2015 (9:00AM –4:00PM)

Registration:

Visit Long Island Regents Prep for more information and to register for classes.

Contact Us:

Long Island Regents Prep
P.O. Box 1021
Bellmore, NY 11710
Call: (516) 847-1265

Email: info@longislandregentsprep.com
Twitter: @RegentsPrep (https://twitter.com/regentsprep)
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/longislandregentsprep

Important update on January Regents exams

This just in from the New York State Department of Education regarding this week’s winter storm:

From: Ken Wagner (NYSED)
Sent: Monday, January 26, 2015 10:12 AM
To: District Superintendents; School Superintendents; Charter Administrators; Public Administrators; Nonpublic Administrators
Cc: Cosimo Tangorra; Candy Shyer; Steven Katz
Subject: Important Update on January Regents Exams
Importance: High

Colleagues,

As you know, New York State will be affected by an historic snow storm over the next few days. We are seeing reports that well over half of our students from Montauk to Utica will be affected by one or more days of school closures during the administration of the January Regents Exams.

In addition, Tuesday is one of the final administrations of the Integrated Algebra Regents Exam, which, as you know, is a graduation requirement and an exam being phased out as part of our assessment transition.

Therefore, the Department will make the following one-time adjustment in reaction to this historic, extraordinary, and widespread confluence of events.

First and most important – be safe during the storm. Close school if you need to close school.

When the storm has passed, each school superintendent, charter school leader, and nonpublic school principal in a district or school impacted by weather-related closures must send to the Department at emscassessinfo@nysed.gov a description of the date(s) on which schools were closed due to weather, which January Regents Exams had to be canceled, when you plan to administer the tests, and your comprehensive plan to ensure the security of exams and scoring materials during this time period.

Please observe the following constraints when submitting your plan:
All exams should be administered as close as possible to the original administration window.
All January Regents Exams must be administered by Friday, January 30, 2015.
Although scoring materials will be available according to the previously posted schedule, you may not access or distribute these scoring materials until all exams have been administered in your school.
Regents Exam booklets should be kept secure until 5 pm on Friday, January 30.

We will work together to ensure that this historic and extraordinary situation is navigated in a way that keeps us all safe, is fair to students, and trusts our school and district leaders to preserve the integrity of the Regents Exam program.

January 2015 Regents Exam Schedule

Below is the schedule for the January 2015 Regents Exams. Good luck!

Tuesday, January 27 – 1:15 p.m.

Integrated AlgebraRCT in Mathematics

Wednesday, January 28 – 9:15 a.m.

RE in U.S. History and Government GeometryRCT in Science

Wednesday, January 28 – 1:15 p.m.

Physical Setting/Earth Science Physical Setting/ChemistryRCT in Reading

Thursday, January 29 – 9:15 a.m.

Algebra 2/TrigonometryRCT in United States History and Government

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

NYS Common Core Regents Exams in Algebra and English to be Unveiled on June 3rd

Next week, New York State will introduce students to two new Regents exams, the Common Core exams in Algebra and English Language Arts (ELA). The Common Core standards movement has swept the country over the past few years, and the initiative claims to emphasize "the knowledge and skills students should gain throughout their K-12 education in order to graduate high school prepared to succeed in entry-level careers, introductory academic college courses, and workforce training programs." The standards, however, are not without controversy, as states and school districts rush to implement and test standards that have not been thoroughly vetted and piloted. Students and parents, already facing a battery of standardized tests each school year, have a right to be apprehensive about the new Regents exams. The silver lining appears to be the fact that NYS plans to keep its old Regents passing rates for the near future. According to The Poughkeepsie Journal, "The state Education Department plans to set the scoring so that roughly the same percentage of students will pass the tests as in the past.... The class of 2022 — this year's fourth-graders, who will enter high school in 2018 — will be the first to have to survive the full Common Core challenge. Those students will have to notch higher passing scores on their Regents exams, comparable to a 75 in ELA and an 80 in math."

That should bring a bit of relief to students fretting about the June 3rd exams, but many teachers, students, and parents are still unsure of what to expect next week. But, for those students taking the NYS Regents Exams that begin on June 17, check out www.liregentsprep.com for Regents Prep Classes and links to free Regents review materials. Good luck!

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Free Regents Prep Resources

The NYS Regents Exams are less than a month away! The folks at Long Island Regents Prep know you have a lot of options when choosing Regents Review Courses, with test prep companies offering review classes at Adelphi, Molloy, and Hofstra. But we're different. Our company is owned and operated by current, NYS-certified Long Island high school educators, who teach at top-performing schools throughout Nassau and Suffolk counties. Plus, our classes are affordable--a fraction of what a tutor would cost--and are conveniently located on the Nassau-Suffolk border, at Farmingdale State College. See our Regents Review Schedule at www.liregentsprep.com, and contact us if you have any questions.

In the meantime, check out these FREE online resources to help you study for the Regents Exams. Good luck!

United States History and Government Regents Review

U.S. History Regents Review Sheet -
http://www.historyteacher.net/AmericanHistoryAndGovernment/ReviewMaterials/us_history_regents_review_sheet.htm

U.S. History Regents Review Packet - Bronx Engineering and Technology Academy - http://www.mybetanyc.com/departments/socialstudies/teachers/ott/wiki/classroom/uspacket.pdf

U.S. History Regents Review Flash Cards -
http://quizlet.com/18520455/us-history-regents-review-flash-cards

Mr. Klaff's United States History and Government Review Sheet -
http://www.mrklaff.com/usregentsreview.html

Global History and Geography Regents Review

Global History Regents Review - http://edtech2.boisestate.edu/lockwoodm/

Mr. Klaff's Global Studies Review Sheet -
http://www.mrklaff.com/globalregentsreview.html

Global Regents Review Links -
http://b101review.wikispaces.com/Global+Regents+Review

Brief Review in Global History and Geography -
http://www.phschool.com/curriculum_support/brief_review/global_history/

Integrated Algebra Regents Review