As New York considers new graduation requirements, the alternatives might not be easy to implement.
The state’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Graduation Measures said Regents exams will no longer count toward graduation. Studies show exit exams do not raise a high school diploma’s value or student achievement.
Arlen Benjamin Gomez, executive director of The Education Trust-New York, said while one alternative is performance-based assessments, the Department of Education might not provide resources for all districts to shift away from the Regents exams.
“In that process, we’re concerned about what districts will do in order to look at other ways of demonstrating proficiency for students and whether students will be given a full menu of opportunities,” Gomez noted. “Or whether some students will be pushed toward Regents exams and other students pushed towards untested ways of demonstrating proficiency.”
Critics said Regents exams present barriers and biases for students. Along with racial biases, studies show exit exams can impact multilingual learners and students with disabilities. Before new requirements can be implemented, she argued fixing underlying issues such as minority students being undereducated should be addressed first.
Beyond new graduation requirements, Gomez pointed out another way to improve education is by fully funding schools. The Rockefeller Institute is studying the formula since many education advocates said it is ripe for change.
She contended the current education system is not preparing students for college and beyond.
“What we are doing is setting kids up to not be proficient, not being able to graduate demonstrating that proficiency, and then going on to college and careers where they’re going to struggle, taking entry-level work-based assessments, or they might have to take remedial courses in college,” studying the formula outlined. “We know that can lead to increased debt or students dropping out of school.”
Current statistics show fewer than half of eighth graders statewide are proficient in math in a 2022-2023 assessment. Students of color fared worse, with only 32% of Latino students and 31% of Black students being proficient in math. The numbers were still less than half for the same groups’ reading proficiency.
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