|
Advocacy
- Component Retesting for Regents Exams
The West Irondequoit Board of Education extends its
work on behalf of children to advocate for changes to New York State
law and State Education Department (SED) regulations, when necessary, to
improve opportunities for students in our community and throughout the
state. The board is currently working to change SED regulations
regarding component retesting for Regents exams.
What
are Regents exams?
Regents exams are state tests that assess student
mastery of the state standards. Students must earn a grade of 65% or
better (some students with disabilities may pass with a lower score) on the
exam in order to pass the exam and must pass 5 Regents exams to earn a
Regents diploma; 8 Regents exams to earn a Regents diploma with Advanced
Designation. Some exams cover multiple years of study, for example
students typically sit for a six hour English Language Arts exam after
their junior year. See list of
required Regents exams.
What
is component retesting?
Component retesting was implemented in 2001. The
goal of the plan was to allow students who fail an exam another opportunity
to demonstrate mastery of the missed material. If retesting was
available for all required exams, and was done in a timely manner, students
would have:
- a better chance to stay on track for graduation with
their classmates
- increased opportunities to graduate with a
Regents graduation diploma w/advanced designation
What
does our Board of Education propose?
The board requests that the following changes be
implemented to address flaws in the current system:
1. Offer component retesting as part of the Regents examination
periods in January, June and August and allow schools districts to order
retests as part of their Regents exam order. Currently retests are
only offered in May.
2. Replace the Math A component retest,
and re-align to the upcoming new state sequence by offering component
retests in both algebra and geometry.
3. Align the format of the retests with
the format of the Regents exams. Permit students to retest in
specific components of the Regents exam when failures occur (one of the
four essays on the ELA, Part II of Math A, the document-based essay in
social studies, etc.).
4. Allow any student who scores at least
55% on a Regents exam to take a component retest without having to take the
Regents exam a second time. Currently students must fail a Regents
exam twice before they are eligible for the retest.
5. Allow students who fail a Regents
exam twice to take a component retest regardless of their scores on the
Regents exam.
6. Develop component retests in all
curricular areas where Regents examinations are offered. Component
retesting is currently only offered in the areas of English Language Arts
and math.
7. Allow all students, regardless of
grade level, to sit for a component retest. Currently only seniors
may sit for the English Language Arts retest and only juniors and seniors
are eligible for the Math A retest.
How
does the board advocate for these changes?
Board members and the superintendent attend sessions in
Albany,
using every opportunity to meet with members of the Board of regents and
officials from SED to explain the need for the proposed changes. The
board has submitted resolutions to the New York State School Boards
Association and the New York State Parent Teacher Association. These
resolutions will be presented to the delegates at each groups' annual
convention this fall (2007). If approved, the positions will receive
formal support from these groups. The Genesee Valley PTA has invited
Irondequoit High School Principal Pat McCue to speak on the topic at their
annual Presidents' and Principals' Dinner this fall.
West Irondequoit has offered to participate in
a pilot program to explore the impact these changes would have on student
success.
Please contact any West
Irondequoit School Board member for further information on this
topic.
|
