Dropping Mandatory Regents Exams Would Be Detrimental to New York's Students' Education
The New York State Board of Regents has announced a significant shift in its graduation requirements, effective from the 2027-2028 school year. The state will no longer require students to pass Regents exams to graduate.
This move forms part of a broader standard that emphasises critical thinking, social-emotional and cultural competence, and "global citizenship" over subject mastery. The new standard will also introduce optional "seals" or endorsements for students who achieve further milestones.
The decision follows the Regents' 2018 Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education Framework, which calls for the promotion and perpetuation of alternative "cultures, languages and ways of knowing." This framework, in turn, was a response to the report by Roberta Rubel Schaefer, a renowned education expert and former member of the Massachusetts Board of Education (1996-2007).
The shift away from exam-based graduation requirements was initially sparked by the standards-based reform-and-accountability movement, which included the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2002. However, the political will to pursue further reform has since dissipated, leading to a regression in the system where academic achievement is considered an afterthought.
In contrast, the educational model used by Success Academy's charter schools, which includes a standard, content-rich curriculum and high expectations for student behaviour, has shown to produce better results. Success Academy students perform better on standardized tests than their Department of Education counterparts.
Traditional coursework will no longer be the standard for academic credits. Instead, students will demonstrate "proficiency" through service projects, participation in the arts, or portfolios of artistic or scientific work. The single diploma for all graduates will replace the three current diploma types.
However, it's important to note that the Regents' account of the purpose of education does not make reference to preparing students for American citizenship. This departure from the traditional educational model has raised concerns about the future of academic rigour and student performance.
The author of the Manhattan Institute report on changes by the New York State Board of Regents is not specifically identified in the provided search results. In 1983, the nonpartisan U.S. National Commission on Excellence in Education released a report titled "A Nation at Risk," which raised concerns about the erosion of educational foundations due to mediocrity. Whether the current changes will address these concerns remains to be seen.
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