Ever since the pandemic fully cancelled the January Regents exams for the first time ever, the question has been circulating whether the exams should be canceled again in June. Due to the continued threat of the Coronavirus pandemic and school being kept virtual and hybrid, the option seems likely. The end of year exams have always taken place in a gymnasium with students crowded together to test their skills for each Regents course they took that year. Passing marks would mean a student completed the course, failing would mean a repeat of the test in August, and possibly the course. For many students, the amount of stress associated with the Regents is already pretty daunting, but now there are a whole host of issues to deal with, including safety concerns, lack of learning equity, and a reduced amount of course content.
Regents have traditionally been used to hold schools and districts accountable, giving districts a chance to address disparities when exams come back negatively impacting students with disabilities, ELL(English Language Learner) students, or any specific group of marginalized students. If a significant discrepancy is found it will often lay the groundwork for a district plan to make the learning environment more productive and inclusive for the group. It’s important to note that two years without these accountability exams could prove problematic for more disenfranchised students statewide. The question here is whether the cons outweigh the pros.
In reaching out to Ithaca High School (IHS) students through a survey, the overwhelming and not shocking response was, “No”, they do not want June Regents. Responses cite the “outrageous” idea to put extra pressure on already stressed and isolated students. Others talk about more students cheating this year and an overwhelming feeling of the inability to learn, one anonymous high schooler stating, “Many students have turned to cheating this year, not because of rebellious needs, but simply because they do not feel adequately knowledgeable or taught enough to perform well on a test.” This sentiment was echoed by others who assumed students would automatically cheat on the Regents if the exam were to be conducted virtually. One student suggests if there were Regents exams that they be with open notes to somewhat prevent this.
Yet another huge complaint made by both teachers and students was the issue of inequities that have been brought out even more during the pandemic. One anonymous student says, “[Having June Regents] would also be unfair to kids in unstable living environments who haven’t gotten a steady education this year, whether that be because of WiFi connection issues or because of family members, they have also had a very hard time learning and focusing in class.” Teachers echo this sentiment. “Regular, dependable access to internet connectivity is another impediment to equity for students across the state this year. We know many, many families do not have reliable internet, or, in cases, those who do might need to share their bandwidth with parents and siblings, inevitably leading to missed opportunities for instruction and learning,” says Ms. Rebecca Gergely, an English teacher at IHS. “I don’t know how a fair test could be made under the circumstances.”
Talking to IHS teachers about their thoughts on holding Regents exams this year, the overriding answer was again, no. Most worried over students being unprepared. Steven Weissburg, an IHS math teacher, stated, “I estimate that on average most math classes are covering about 70 percent of what we would normally cover,” mirroring students’ concerns about not taking in enough content. Ms. Lisa Alexander, another IHS math teacher’s, statement goes off of this: “New York State has not come out with any guidance for teachers and the courses they are teaching to let them know the most important topics and how deeply to go into those topics in order to earn credit for a course.” She continues, “If teachers’ ideas are not the same as those who write the Regents exams, then the students wouldn’t be prepared, through no fault of their own.”
On the other hand, Ms. Arti Jewett, an IHS Science teacher argues, “Many students would do just fine on a traditional Regents exam this year, because this is a test that lends itself to review and preparation. There are clearly stated learning standards, and many students are meeting them.” But Jewett also agrees that Regents tests this year would not be “necessary or helpful”. Instead she suggests, “ a teacher-made assessment of knowledge that allows for flexibility in design and scoring”. As for how IHS Science teachers are conducting their classes around the uncertainty of Regents exams, Jewett explains:
“Some teachers have decided to move ahead with teaching NY’s Next Generation Science Standards (which will be adopted in coming years in statewide assessment). Others continue to shape their courses around the Regents exam because, in the absence of information from the state, they have to prepare students for a June exam. The decisions that teachers are making are informed by the needs of their students and by their professional judgment about how they can teach most effectively in these difficult circumstances.”
Overall most students across subjects agreed with Alexander, who states, “this year is a whole different animal” and shouldn’t be administered in June. They echoed similar questions as Alexander’s statement to The Tattler: “How would a Regents exam be given? Would all students be forced to come to the school to take it, even if they don’t feel safe? Would there be a choice to take it online? What would that look like? How would it be monitored? What about students who have weak internet at their homes?” Ms. Yvette de Boer, an IHS Biology teacher, says she “can’t imagine what a test would look like right now.”
Plenty of responses from teachers and students offered the question of whether there should be Regents exams at all. Weissburg asks the state to use this pandemic to reconsider Regents exams altogether citing their cultural bias, overall lack of creative thinking and “undue emphasis to what I consider to be superficial standards.” De Boer believes a standardized test can be good for some aspects but also echoes the concerns over equity, “ I don’t know that that multiple choice, short answer test is fair to all students.” De Boer explained how different parts of the Regents such as reading vocabulary can be difficult as well for students who aren’t good test takers, saying the Regents format can be “really hard for some students, even though they might know the material.” Weissburg states, “Hoping to make the best of a bad pandemic, I would like this to be an opportunity to reconsider Regents exams all together. We’ve asked students and teachers to completely change how we do school, it’s time for NYSED to do the same.”