Comments on: Panel: NYC public school grads not starting college prepared

By: NYC High School graduates still need remedial classes in CUNY « A Teacher Log

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 03:59:13 +0000

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By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 03:36:58 +0000

If this report does not accurately reflect what you said… idk.

But who chose to include the principal who is credited with altering regents scores, and had him discuss standards?

By: John Garvey

John Garvey — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 01:59:47 +0000

I think I may not have been as clear during my presentation last week as I should have been. Let me make a few clarifying comments. Courses that lead to Regents exams are not necessarily the most advanced courses that students take. In fact, they probably should not be. High school students need opportunities to take courses beyond the Regents exam level. At the same time, they need to do veyr well on those Regents exams. I criticized the Regents exams for two reasons–the very complicated and all but completely ununderstandable process of setting passing scores and the lack of any explicit college readiness standard. In fact, the content on the Regents exams is quite substantial. My comment about middle school and early high school content and the lack or connection to the demands of real college=level work was made in reference to college placement tests, not the Regents exams. These are all pretty complicated issues and I’d urge readers of this blog to wait for the full report that I’m preparing which will hopefully be ready in the near future. In the meantime, I’d like to thank gotham schools for attending and reporting on the presentation.

By: leonie haimson

leonie haimson — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 00:10:35 +0000

The only way to get students better prepared for college will be when they are better prepared for HS; the only way to get students better prepared for HS is to reform middle schools — including reducing the class size for the 40%of middle school students in NYC who are in classes of 30 or more.

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 23:53:28 +0000

To pick up (and correct) the first thought: There are many courses that go beyond (not behind, oops) regents courses.

In social studies, students generally take Global in 10th and US in 11th. Yet there are electives in many schools AFTER these courses, plus Economics, required, generally a senior course, and Participation in Government, likewise.

In English students in many schools take the Regents after their 5th term, yet go on to take 3 more terms (often including far more interesting electives) after that exam.

In Science many schools offer Forensics, Environmental, etc, AFTER the Regents are complete…

If no one on the panel knew what they were talking about, why was it worth reporting?

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 23:47:33 +0000

Regents courses are not the most advanced courses high school students in NYC take. Not including APs, there are many classes that come after and go behind Regents level. You quote Rahid Davis, principal of BETA, on high expectations and Regents Exams. Some research would be helpful. He was accused (and I think never cleared) of personally changing Regents grades when he was at JFK high school in the Bronx. Here is a NY Times article. Not directly related: his school has one of the highest turnover rates in the City.

By: Pogue

Pogue — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 23:35:48 +0000

Six years of Mayoral Control and this is what Bloomberg and Klein have to show for it? Well, what did you expect when they’re more interested in looking good by padding their graduation and test stats instead of actually providing support and resources to help NYC kids. And we want this to “Keep Going”? Please.