Time to scrap the Regents exams for good

Let's reimagine education and create a system without Regents exams

BY EMMA FELDMAN

It's time to end the Regents exams. The tests are insufficient in determining a student's ability, and they are a source of unnecessary stress for students and teachers alike. We spend too much time worrying about the exams, which hampers creativity in the classroom. Let's take advantage of the call to reimagine education and create a system without these exams. Let's cancel them not just for this spring, but for the future.

After my four years of high school, I can confidently say that the Regents exams have been nothing but a burden. Teachers typically spend two to three weeks reviewing for them and, combined with the two weeks of testing, almost a month of the school year is dedicated to those exams. That?s excluding times throughout the year when we are taught facts and skills solely because ?they?re on the Regents exam.?Learning seemingly useless topics for the Regents exams is especially bothersome because few colleges outside New York acknowledge those grades.

In addition, standardized exams like the Regents are incredibly biased: they favor wealthy students whose parents have the means to hire tutors. I was fortunate enough to be tutored for a couple of these exams over the years. The first Regents exam I took

was in eighth grade, and it was for earth science. Preparing for that test was too stressful for a middle school student. My parents hired a tutor who worked with me for multiple hours a week leading up to the assessment. I was still so overwhelmed on the day of the test. I remember the feeling of anxiety affected me to the point that I could not gather the information I needed. A year later, I had the same experience with other Regents exams. My parents hired the same tutor! I ended

up doing well on both exams, and I attribute much of my success to my tutor's instruction and guidance.

Last quarter, the students in my School & Community Leadership class were tasked with a "Do Something" project. We had to find a cause that was meaningful to us and do something about it. A few classmates and I chose this issue of Regents exams. We surveyed approximately 100 Kennedy students for this project, and we discovered that almost 85% of them considered the exams an unnecessary distraction. Moreover, most of them agreed that the tests were not a good determining factor of their knowledge.

I credit the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District for taking the appropriate steps in de-emphasizing the exams. Over the last few years, the district has changed its policy so the exams carry less weight. A few years ago, the

administration and the Board of Education lowered the value of the exam in the final course grade from 20% to 12%. Think about that! Up to a few years ago, a three-hour exam was worth as much as the grades from a ten-week quarter. Even though BMCHSD made that remarkable adjustment, the truth is that not much has changed. The state still requires students to pass these exams, and? despite the lessened value? students still feel the pressure to achieve a high grade to match or improve upon their course average. There is still some social pressure to do well.

Additionally, I suspect that most districts in New York State don't have a similar grading policy as ours. Most students in New York State probably feel the weight of the exam. It's unfair and unhealthy, and, honestly, we can change the weight of the exam however we want. But as long as they are there, they will remain a burden.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to reconsider and reconceptualize many practices that were once the norm. In New York State, we should permanently implement one of those changes: the cancellation of the Regents exams. Let's foster an academic culture that de-emphasizes testing and encourages creativity.

Emma Feldman is a senior class senator and a member of the varsity cheerleading team.