Board of Regents Slows the Pace: Backtracks on Math &
Physics
by Joan Simon
(October 8, 2003) The Board of Regents is putting
the brakes on some of the rapid changes they had initiated
in the past few years. Revisions are due for both the Math
A and Physics exams, which have come under fire from educators in Mamaroneck
and across the state ( Math A & Physics Regents
Exams Roundly Criticized).
The proposal to change the physics test comes too late for Mamaroneck High
School, which decided earlier this month to offer its own Physics course
and exam in place of Regents Physics ( Mamaroneck
Dumps Physics Regents).
But revisions to Math A and the math curriculum are likely to be appreciated.
The State Department of Education and the Board of Regents
have also given the go-ahead to districts wishing to maintain
55 as the passing test score for
all exams, rather than the 65 that the Regents has gradually been phasing
in. Districts will have two more years to opt for the 55
score, after which they
will have to return to 65. “
The Board of Regents made a good decision for students in maintaining the
55 passing score for Regents exams,” commented Mamaroneck Superintendent
Sherry King. Along with other area superintendents, she has been advocating
for this change. “Our goal is to have all students participate in more
rigorous courses of study. This provides an opportunity for more students
to do just that."
The Regents are also keeping the Regent Competency Tests
in place for an extra three years for special education students.
Students entering 9th grade
in
2009 will still be able to opt for the RCT. These tests have been phased
out for regular education students, but will remain as an alternative for
special
education students who have not passed the Regents exams.
Bob Martin, President of the Mamaroneck Board of Education,
welcomed the changes. “The Board of Regents has been
putting out too many new tests and new kinds of tests at
such a fast pace without adequate quality control,” he
commented
In June, Commissioner Mills set aside the results of the
2003 test for 11th and 12th graders and admitted that the
Math A Regents test “was not fair.” In August,
he issued revised scores that boosted the pass rate for underclassmen
as well. Originally, only 37% of students statewide had passed
Math A, a test required for graduation. Last year, before
the most recent test revisions, the pass rate was 61%.
The Independent panel appointed by Mills last June to review the Math A Regents
has recommended 41 changes, including new field test procedures and a return
to the one-year curriculum, rather than the current three semester course.
They point out that it is unrealistic to expect universal success on the Math
A test (taken usually at the end of 10th grade), when almost half of the New
York eighth graders are failing their math assessment.
“Even with everything
aligned for Math A, the problem seen in 8th grade cannot be solved in a matter
of months in Math A,” they argued. The panel urged the Board of Regents
to beef up the entire K-12 math effort and to publish a suggested grade-by-grade,
K-12 curriculum to support the revised standards.
In response to Commissioner Mills’ call
for swift action, the Board of Regents immediately adopted
the recommendations from the Math A panel report and approved
the extension of the 55 passing grade option. They also took
action on the Physics Regents, calling for rescaling grades
on the 2002 and 2003 exams and appointment of a panel of
New York State physics teachers to establish new performance
levels. At their next meeting on Thursday, they also approved
the extension for RCT’s.
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