I agree that the Regents serves no purpose for kids in higher level classes. It is geared towards kids in Regents level classes, so for those kids I guess it serves a purpose. Those kids will not be taking subject tests or taking AP level classes. Our HS requires the Regents so there was never an option to not take it.
My daughter took honors chemistry in 10th grade and AP senior year. She took the Regents in 10th grade which basically meant she showed up on a Wednesday morning, spent 30 minutes filling in circles (or whatever they do), and left when they were allowed to “legally” leave, which I think was 2 hours. She got a 100- again this is only meant to show that the Regents serves no purpose for many kids. The material on the Regents is much lower than honors classes, let alone AP. This chemistry class was taught by a brilliant woman who many did not like. She was tough and expected them to work- a concept that is foreign to many in my town who expect an A for not working much. My daughter complained about the sarcasm but then quickly learned handle it after I reminded her that the world is filled with lots of different people, and to please figure it out. This class had about 6 parents who were in the principal’s office on a daily basis complaining. These kids were getting C’s. They were not putting in the time that was required to do better- or perhaps they should have remained in Regents level- who knows- but they blamed the teacher. The teacher taught the class at a much higher level than one would expect in honors, according to my daughter. My daughter was happy with this because she had an interest in learning the material.
The teacher held 2-3 extra help sessions to teach the material that was not covered in class but would be on the subject test. Three kids showed up even though about 18 took the test. Then they blamed the teacher that some of the material on the subject test was not taught in class. OK…
Sorry I am venting. I am with @lostaccount on the parents in certain towns. Annoying is an understatement.
I agree that the Regents serves no purpose unless you happen to be on the “Regents track” taking all Regents level classes, in which case maybe it serves a purpose (who knows). Again, we have multiple high schools serving a variety of different kids with different needs, so our district can’t drop the Regents (I guess?). My take on the Regents has always been to show up and take it. It never really mattered and it was never something we thought about. Honestly, I find looking at the Regents schedule to be annoying- I almost need a lesson to figure it out.
:-S
^ No public school district in NYS can drop the Regents. It’s a requirement for graduation for everyone. Only private schools are exempt.
Thanks @emilybee that makes sense.
@millie210 perhaps they want the kids to take the Regents so they can report high scores?
I’m assuming schools have to offer enough Regent courses so that students can get the diplomas. I don’t know if they offer Chemistry if they have to offer Regents Chemistry and make students take the exam. (Assuming they had another course of the physical science requirement.) I never paid too much attention to all the rules, They were being changed while my kids were in school - I don’t think they were the same for both kids.
While all public schools now have to have the Regents, back when my kids first started high school there were high schools that had petitioned not to have them because their courses were superior and their assessments were better.
@mathmom, that’s exactly what I suspect, that the school wants the honors kids to take the regents to make the school look good. I’m waiting for a response to my email to the head of guidance asking why my kid (or any kid taking honors Chem) needs to take the regent. I’m sure it will be very entertaining.
I just looked at the school profile from our HS. Our HS “gives out” 14 different types of diplomas, ranging from the highest- which is “Regents Diploma with Advanced Designation and Honors in Math and Science” down to "Local Diploma with CTE (nobody earned that one last year). Not sure what CTE is. Also- I do not think that the type of diploma that is earned is listed anyplace on the common app or on the report that is sent out by guidance. Our GC checks off the type of courses (rigor) and writes in whether you graduated numbers 1-10. If you are higher than #10 then your decile is reported. I do not think there is a spot for the type of diploma- so how would a college know whether an advanced diploma was earned? It may be written on the final transcript, but the final transcript does not get sent to the school until July (at our school).
CTE is Career and Technical Endorsement.
Here is a list of all diplomas and the requirements for each in NYS.
http://www.p12.nysed.gov/specialed/diploma-credentials.html
^ thanks! I might be missing something here, but how would colleges that a student applies to in August/September/October know what kind of diploma the student will be getting? To the best of my knowledge, they won’t know. So…to answer @millie210 original question, the type of diploma does not matter. By the time the diploma is issued, the student has already committed to the school. The type of diploma that is issued is for the benefit of making the HS look better.
It doesn’t matter in regards to college applications and acceptance - it matters to NYS Dep. of Ed for the school report cards they issue.
Also, there are scholarship awards - which was the only reason anyone prior to 1999 took the regents exams when regents weren’t required to graduate.
https://www.hesc.ny.gov/pay-for-college/financial-aid/types-of-financial-aid/nys-grants-scholarships-awards/nys-scholarships-for-academic-excellence.html