<p>^^ I agree w/ AMTC. I never saw the point of Regents’ Exams and didn’t pick up my own diploma. Not once in my life has anyone asked if I had a Regents’ diploma. My dad thought it was prestigious.</p>
<p>I’m a student now. Most (if not all) of the Regents exams are a joke/pointless. Some Regents are required to graduate, and therefore have almost no material on them (ie. Living Environment’s curriculum was cut in half around 2000 because everyone needs it to graduate). Others have insane conversion charts, meaning your score doesn’t mean much.</p>
<p>A few examples:</p>
<p>1.
Here is the conversion chart for the Integrated Algebra Regents exam:
<a href=“http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/osa/concht/6-09/ia-cc-609.pdf[/url]”>http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/osa/concht/6-09/ia-cc-609.pdf</a></p>
<p>A passing (65) is a raw score of 30 out of 87. 30/87=~.344. In what world is a 34.4% considered being proficient in a topic? Not only that, but that exam is a joke. Conversion charts are relatively new creation, only about ten years old I believe. Before that, passing was a 65%…an actual 65% percent. Why all of a sudden have the exams become so much “harder” that all tests need a conversion chart, and at that a conversion chart that puts passing in the 30s.</p>
<p>I think that example basically sums up NCLB and the New York State Regents quite well.</p>
<p>2.
Not really Regents related, but testing related. In 8th grade, I was taking a 9th grade Math course. To be in this honors course, one needed to maintain an 85 average. If one has attained mastery (85) in a ninth grade class (and will actually be taking a Regents exam a few months later), why is one being tested to make sure they can obtain a 65 on a test of eight grade curriculum? To make schools/the state look good while wasting a huge amount of money. So, not only are they being tested on lower level information, but if the state says, “This will make sure the teacher is doing a good job”…well won’t the Regents exam do that two months later? Also, passing that eight grade state test probably means scoring around a 50 (total guess on my part) on the easiest parts of the eight grade curriculum. Remember, scores are on a 1-4 scale, and the state wants to make themselves look good.</p>
<p>Sure, the Regents may shape the curriculum and for some tests (the more higher level ones not required for graduation) may actually have some difficulty and not an insane curve, but does that 65 on the Integrated Algebra Regents mean the student is proficient and the teacher has done their best job? No.</p>