By:LARRY MAIER
At last week's Council of PTA's Forum, Baldwin school officials and parents criticized the New York State Board of Regents over what they say are problems with the state's fourth- and eighth-grade standardized assessment tests and the increased requirements being phased in for high school graduation. For once they were not just talking to each other -- they had a Regent in the school.
Regent Robert Johnson, the Long Island representative to the state board, who was invited by the PTA to address the district's concerns about the new tests and standards, made few friends in the audience or on the panel. Johnson held fast to the Regents belief that higher academic standards will force students to achieve. He told the gathering that the new standards and requirements were here to stay and that teachers and parents had better get used to them.
Too many tests?
School officials and parents said that the English and math assessment exams, which were designed to determine how well students are progressing toward meeting high school graduation requirements, are time-consuming at the expense of other learning. They also said that their results are not received in a way that is useful to teachers.
District Superintendent Kathy Weiss told Johnson that while she and the district support higher learning standards, "more testing means less teaching." Weiss said that in the 8th grade, where students are asked to take up to eight assessment exams, about 15 percent of the school year is lost to testing.
"Our math doesn't agree with that," said Johnson, who questioned why the assessment tests were given to students in addition to regular exams rather than instead of them.
Johnson said that one reason why some districts are having problems with the exams is because they have not implemented enough curriculum changes at the other grade levels.
"Get your kids up to the standards in grade one and you won't have to worry about grade four," said Johnson. Districts have known for years about the new learning standards but are only now beginning to change curriculums because they are being assessed, Johnson said.
Kids can't be kids
Many parents of fourth and eighth grade students said that they feel the exams are too stressful on their children.
One mother said that her fourth grade daughter was discouraged by her teacher from participating in extra-curricular activities because of all the work required for test preparation.
Johnson said that it is up to school districts to discourage this kind reaction from their teaching staffs and defended the need for the 4th grade assessment tests. "If a kid is up to the standards by 4th grade, chances are they'll never face failure again," Johnson said.
There were also complaints that the results of the tests, which aren't returned to school districts until months after they are taken, do not give teachers a clear picture of where individual students need help.
On this point Johnson made a rare concession to parents and teachers and admitted that this was a problem. He encouraged districts to get in touch with state legislators and ask them to allocate more funds to the Regents so the tests can be scored in a more timely manner.
Regents requirements
Parents told Johnson that some students would not be able to pass the increasing Regents Exam requirements no matter how much remediation they received.
This year, high school students will be required to pass the English and math Regents exams with a 55 or better to earn a Regents diploma. By the year 2005, all students, except those classified in special education, will be required to pass five Regent's Exams with a 65 or better in order to graduate.
Many parents and teachers in the district are worried that these new requirements will mean higher dropout rates and that many children will be shut out of job opportunities without high school diplomas.
"I will move out of New York before I blow my son's self esteem," Bonnie Brody told Johnson. Brady is worried about her learning disabled son's chances of passing the Regents exams.
"I worry that [graduation] may not be a certainty," said PTA President Mary Clark, who has two learning disabled children.
"None of us here believe that our students won't be productive citizens if they don't have a Regents diploma," Clark added.
Johnson offered little sympathy to parents regarding these concerns.
"We have to stop saying that our kids can't do it and see what they can do," said Johnson. "For too long we have had classes for the kids who get it and another set of classes for the dummies."
Johnson said that the new standards are necessary if the schools want to prepare students to succeed in today's global economy.
He did say that the Regents are considering extending the "safety net" for struggling, non-disabled students and extending the 55-percent passing requirement a few more years.
