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!
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!
