Doubling up on exam giving

The implementation of the new Common Core curriculum has created a problem school districts such as Hewlett-Woodmere and Lawrence must deal with. How to teach for the Common Core Regents for Algebra l that will be given on June 3 and the old Integrated Algebra Regents later in the month? Two tests very different in approach and content.
They are concerned about the doubling up on teaching, learning, studying and test-taking there could be. The State Education Department informed school districts that seventh and eighth grade students taking the Common Core Algebra Regents are exempt from taking the state grade level assessment in math to avoid “double-testing.” All Regents track freshmen at Lawrence High School take Common Core Algebra l and some accelerated middle school students will also be taking the Common Core Regents on June 3.
“Our teachers are working diligently on aligning our curriculum with the Common Core standards in order to prepare them for the Common Core Regents, the test out students are mandated to take,” said Mark Secaur, Hewlett-Woodmere’s assistant superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction.
Secaur also expressed apprehension about how the state will scale. “The fact that the algebra exam is a high-stakes exam linked to graduation as well as teacher accountability plans only heightens the concerns the concerns,” he said. “This will not be overcome until the tests are given, scored and eventually evaluated.”
In Lawrence, where implementation of the Common Core Algebra l curriculum began this past September, Dr. Jennifer Lagnado, principal of Lawrence High, said that the higher of the two scores will count towards the students’ graduation and teachers Annual Professional Performance Review scores.