Meaningless Exam



I got a chance to see the Integrated Algebra Regents today and , unfortunately I was not surprised at what I saw.  As usual, the students only needed to get 15 multiple choice questions correct to pass.  For anyone unfamiliar with scoring that means 30 out of 87 points or 34.5%.  That's right, eenie, meenie, minie, moe gets the kids passing grades.  Put this together with an AP who insists all kids learn how to guess and check with a calculator and you can only imagine how little these grades mean.

What struck me most about the exam were the number of questions that required no algebraic skills.  There were  question on bivariate data, surveys, functions.  There were scatter plots and set theory questions.  Two multiple choice questions involved the Pythagorean Theorem.

I always told my students that a good foundation in algebra was the secret to doing well in math forever.  Math would never be a problem if they could use signed numbers, solve an equation and factor.  This exam could be passed knowing none of those things.  Most high school kids lack the maturity to understand the value of mastering these topics when they are not on the test.

Next year this kids will go into a geometry class.  Good luck getting them to do number problems when they have learned nothing in algebra. And heaven help the teacher who will get them in trig, if they make is that far!

CUNY has been having problems getting kids through the first credited math class and has raised the minimum score needed to avoid remedial math. Even  a grade of 80, which is 56 out of 87 which is less than 65%.

I heard an algebra teacher telling her students how proud she was of them for doing well.  I appreciate the work she did to get them to that point and she should feel pride in what she did, but not in what they did as they know almost nothing.

End Of The World



Wednesday afternoon, my algebra students were discussing the world's ending today.  One girl added that the bible said it would rain for seven days and seven nights before the destruction and although they weren't taking this seriously, they gasped as they looked outside at the pouring rain.

Being quick on my toes, I just said, "Don't worry.  The world will not be destroyed before you have a chance to take the regents.  Everyone in here will pass."  They laughed and got to work.

Once Again, Mr. AP and I Disagree

Once again, Mr. AP is telling us our regents grades must be in line with our class grades and that kids who don't pass the regents should not pass the class. He just sent out a memo berating teachers who passed geometry students that failed the regents. I know I am at the top of his hit list.

Here are my thoughts about having the correlation he would like.

The regents is an easy exam. The kids that don't pass it, for the most part, are the kids who don't belong in a regents math class, the kids who years ago would have taken all the pre-algebra and non regents classes. They just don't have the ability to learn higher level math. But, by sitting in our classes and passing the exams we give, they are learning something, more than what they would be learning if they were in some other class. Although I haven't checked all the data, I believe that kids that repeat because of the regents end up in a cycle of constant repetition and never get to move ahead. I see no benefit in making the kids I taught last year repeat geometry. By moving into trig or into some other math class, they are being exposed to other math that might help them in college. If they fail an easy exam like that one, they probably are not headed towards an advanced diploma and will probably need remedial math in college anyway.

Then again, there are kids that cannot master geometry but will do very well in intermediate algebra and trigonometry. I've spoken to quite a few from last year and the ones I pushed ahead seem to be doing fine. There really is no crystal ball to predict success or failure.

We've been told to assess our students on a daily basis and that is what we do every day with exams, with homework and with classroom observations. I believe I've done that and that I've done a good job of it. By making the regents omnipotent, we are being told that our assessments are valueless.

The regents is one exam. It is an exam some students find extremely stressful. Some are studying for four exams at the same time. Most high schools do not hold to these standards and it is not right to treat our students differently. The regents standards are so low anyway, what difference can a couple of points possibly make?

(Picture in honor those colleagues too chicken say anything that might be deemed controversial. A "friend" told me today that I can say whatever is on my mind because of my proximity to retirement. A real "friend" would know that my mouth never stayed closed, even when I was many years from retirement.)

Be Prepared, Not

Kids came into the regents exam with their I-pods and cell phones but forgot to bring pens, pencils, calculators and ID cards. Why? Is it because they were not emotionally, mentally or educationally ready to take these courses and sit for these exams?

One girl, during the Global Regents said, "Can you read me the instructions? I am too lazy to read them myself." I thought, maybe she cannot read. but, if she can't read, how could she possibly take this exam? She got to the essays and stopped. "I'm too tired to do all this writing. I think I did well enough on the short answers to pass." I pushed and pushed her and got her to write. I don't know if she finished or wrote anything coherent, but she wrote. Her attitude alone told me that something was seriously wrong with our education system. I have never, in over 30 years teaching, had a kid tell me they were too tired to finish an exam that meant passing or failing a year long course and was crucial to graduation.

Math B Worries

The Math B regents was yesterday. The kids were worried as it is probably the last time they would be able to take this exam. (We are only offering the new trig course in September.) Here are a few pictures I took of the kids right before the exam. Most had books and study notes in front of them for that last minute cram. I even had eight show up this morning for some extra help. (I am not even teaching Math B this term.)












This one was taken in front of Subway, about 3 blocks from the school.

The more juicy part of this post is not here. I originally wanted to publish it publicly, and while this guy deserved to be castrated, I cannot be the one to do that to a fellow teacher so you can only read about it if you have access to this.

Wake Up And Smell The Coffee

There are teachers I work with who still adhere to the same regents standards that were around 20 years ago. Although it would be great if this was possible, its not. Twenty years ago, there was no NCLB. The students today are not the same regents students we taught then and it is important to remember that.

In the past there was tracking. Everyone was not pushed into academic classes. There were general, vocational and commercial diplomas available and students had a choice (sometimes the choice was made for them) as to which path to follow.

Even ten years ago, there was a choice. Not everyone needed a regents diploma. Students could graduate with Regents Competency exams and courses like pre-algebra and consumer math.

Now, in the interest of NCLB, everyone must be prepared to for college. The kids that could not follow an academic program 30 years ago are the kids in our algebra and geometry classes today. Some are extremely bright, but many are short a few cans in the six-pack part of their brain when it comes to mathematics. But, in spite of this, they are learning. I know, I see progress every day.

Will my students pass the regents? I don't know but I am hoping that if I pick and choose the right parts of the curriculum, they will be able to succeed. I'm not teaching to the test , I am teaching what I hope they can and will learn. Will I even have an idea what is on the test before it is given?

Back to the beginning. Teachers have to get over the notion that passing a regents means the course has been learned. We can all thank Richard Mills and his illustrious Board of Regents for making the regents a totally worthless exam. If we are teaching a repeater class or an even lower one, we have to teach these kids what they can do and pass or fail them on this work, not on the same work we taught 30 or 20 or 10 years ago. We are not lowering our standards. The state already did that when they insisted everyone take these dummied down regents. The country already did this by making the kids take the exams because of that stupid, hurtful NCLB law.

Like A Bat Out Of Hell

There is nothing like creating a warm, comforting environment for kids taking a regents exam, especially when these children have unsuccessfully taken the exam before.

YOU CAN REMOVE THE GIRL FROM THE BRONX BUT THE BRONX CAN NEVER BE REMOVED FROM THE GIRL. The Bronx in me demanded this story be told. Sorry, it is only being told here.

A Good Way To Spend A Saturday Morning

Spending time outside of school tutoring my students is nothing new to me. It is something I have always done since my first days teaching. My colleague friends always did it to and we never thought twice about the number of hours we spent doing it. Our classrooms were always open early in the morning and they were filled with kids looking for extra help. We held review sessions during regents week and the kids piled in also. It never occurred to any of us that this was something we should not be doing. It wasn't even until I started at my present school that I learned teachers could actually get paid for staying extra to do this.

Helping my students is a big part of who I am. Maybe its my insecurity, my belief that if I was better at my job, they would be doing better in class. I don't know. I just know it is what I do. Years ago, before we had to worry about consequences of getting too close to students, I used to hold review sessions in my basement. I would take my kid's big blackboard, we sat around the basement floor and worked for hours. My own kids grew up watching my students learn. It is too dangerous to do this now so all my tutoring is confined to school. Over the years, I've worked with them on soccer fields, in gyms and in lunchrooms.

This semester I have no regents classes but a few weeks ago it occurred to me that no tutoring was being offered for the Math B regents. Thank you Mayor Bloomberg for cutting our budget so no funds are available for this. I started getting nervous. Although these kids are not mine now, about 60 of them were mine last year for the first two-thirds of the term. They weren't the strongest math students and I wondered how they would do without extra help. So, what is a nut like me to do? I held a regents review session this morning. Most of the kids are on the senior trip this weekend (a stupid weekend for this since it is right before regents exams and every senior must take at least one exam) and I did announce this at the last minute, but I had a decent turn out. The kids showed up at 10:00 AM (some were there much earlier) full of questions and topics to be clarified. I went over everything they asked and taught them some "legal cheating" (ways to beat the system using the graphing calculator). All in all, it was a great morning. It got my adrenaline going and I feel ready to come home and conquer the world.

I don't do per session. If money was offered, I would have left the tutoring to others. The paltry amount I would receive could not compensate my weekend of lost time. Doing what I did today is what works for me. The reward I got from these kids as they left the room is better than any paycheck I will ever receive. I intend to do the same thing for the kids in my geometry classes who take the regents in June.

Many years ago, when I first started in my present school, a veteran teacher said, "In this school, we don't tutor students." I answered, "This teacher does." That teacher is long gone. This teacher will be gone soon. I'm hoping the new crop of teachers will be more like this than that.

Justifying Worthless Education

In his letter to the editor in this Sunday's Newsday, David Abrams writes:

The Board of Regents recognizes that our greatest challenge in New York State is in closing the achievement gap. Regents exams are a threshold level for high school graduation. Many children, even on Long Island, are struggling to pass five of these exams. For many, getting over the bar at 65 in math, science, English and global history and American history is a milestone accomplishment that equips them for higher education, a lifetime of employment and solid citizenship.

I wonder what planet Abrams lives on if he thinks a 34% in math and a similar grade in the other subjects are equipping students for higher education and employment. Abrams is only justifying his salary and job and that of his bosses.

That Was Easy

John Hildebrand set out to show how easy the NYS regents exams are. Read his story in Newsday here.

Cause For Celebration

I won the pool. Students only need 30 out of 89 points to pass the new Integrated Algebra regents.

Good to know the state has raised standards.

Waiting For The Punchline

The new math regents in integrated algebra was given today. The test is worth 89 points and we won't know the conversion until the end of June. We have a pool going as to what the passing grade will be. I picked 27 but that was gone by the time I found out about the pool. Twenty six was also gone. I ended up choosing 29. One teacher decided not to bet because the numbers 26 - 30 were already picked. I can't wait to see what the Board of Regents will come up with for this one.

How To Make Them Take Math A Seriously

Dilemma--the Math A Regents is a joke. The kids know it is a joke. Everyone in my school passes it. So, how do you make kids take math a seriously? You start a rumor.

One year, months before the regents, I told my classes that I read an article in the NY Times that the upcoming regents was going to be the hardest regents in years. The powers that be in Albany had been getting a lot of flack about the exam and how easy it was to pass, so this exam was going to be exceptionally difficult to show everyone how serious the Board of Regents was about keeping up standards. Every day, I added fuel to the fire, scaring them a little more. I did not realize how effective my little talk was until other teachers starting coming up to me, asking me about the article I read.

Well, my scare tactics worked. That year I had 100% passing in two classes. Everyone got over 75 and the majority of the kids went on to complete Math B and get regents diplomas. At first they were angry at me because the test was really an easy one and I scared them for nothing. Later, they were happy because they actually learned some math that term.

Screwed

I think Principal Suit might have screwed himself out of a performance bonus this year by insisting that everyone takes the Math A regents. The Special Education students who were told to take the exam were not prepared for it. In fact, they were very frustrated by questions they had no clue how to answer. The kids that had only completed half the course (whether they passed the half they took or not) also were not prepared and failed miserably. These kids brought our statistics down, instead of up, the way Suit had hoped. TOO BAD FOR HIM!!!!! The other thing that really hurt him was annualization of Math B. The kids that failed the first half still took the second half of the course and sat for the regents. The grades were not nearly what he hoped or expected them to be.

Hopefully Suit will learn a lesson from all this and not force kids to take exams that they are not prepared for in the future.