Disposing of NY’s Regents exams will negatively impact our students

New York state is on the brink of abandoning its long-standing tradition of holding high school students to high standards by eliminating the Regents exams that have been a graduation requirement for over a century.

The reason for scrapping the Regents exams now? It all comes down to “equity.”

According to Education Commissioner Betty Rosa, the New York State diploma should represent “equity for all students.”

Rosa highlighted the department’s focus on “diversity, equity, and inclusion” along with the development of a “Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education Framework” designed to achieve true equity in the state’s public education system.

It is now evident that the concept of “equity” in the hands of education officials who are against merit means a lowering of standards and a lack of accountability.

With support from individuals like “anti-racist” Regent Shino Tanikawa, the State Education Department is moving towards abandoning the long-standing expectation of graduates mastering key academic subjects before high school graduation.

It’s a disappointing development for students in New York’s public school system.

The Regents exams, which were first introduced in 1866, have covered a wide range of subjects over the years, and New York is one of the few states with exam-based high school graduation requirements.

New York education leaders have been lowering standards and eliminating accelerated academic pathways for public school students for years, but the State Education Department started laying the groundwork for its current initiative in 2019 with the “Graduation Measures Initiative” — a jumble of typical leftist language.

Instead of expecting students to master subjects well enough to pass moderately challenging exams, the State Education Department now proposes a “Portrait of a Graduate” metric that replaces exams with vague assessments of students’ cultural competence, social-emotional competence, communication skills, and global awareness.

New York high school students will now demonstrate their eligibility for graduation through proficiency in soft, unquantifiable “service-based learning experiences” and “involvement in the arts.”

One can easily imagine a service-based art project promoting pro-Palestinian views being used as a substitute for passing an algebra Regents exam.

Rosa claims to have consulted a “diverse group of expert practitioners and the public,” including “public school students and their families” to develop this plan.

However, supporters of merit-based admissions and standardized tests were excluded from the consultation conducted by the State Education Department.

PLACE NYC, an advocate for merit-based admissions and higher academic standards, won 40% of the parent-elected seats in last year’s city Community Education Council elections, including a majority of seats in several active councils and all open seats on the Citywide Council for High Schools.

However, parents associated with PLACE were never part of the “diverse group” that Rosa claimed to have engaged with.

The timeline for a promised parent-engagement process to introduce the new regulations indicates that Rosa and Tanikawa are not interested in hearing from parents who advocate for higher standards and increased accountability.

These “ambassador forums” are scheduled from July to October. However, most public school parents receive information from their PTAs, which do not operate during two of those months.

By the time families return to school and PTAs resume activities, the “engagement” process will be nearing its conclusion.

The decision to eliminate standards and make graduation easier is a key aspect of the “anti-racist” agenda, but at its core, it is rooted in a form of racism.

The state seems to believe that black students are oppressed by pervasive white supremacy, as reflected in the new “education framework” that justifies scrapping exams in the name of equity.

Students from disadvantaged backgrounds who already face low expectations will find that removing the Regents exams only sets the bar even lower.

The proposed changes do not require all New York high school graduates to demonstrate proficiency in fundamental subjects such as English, science, algebra, and social studies — the current mandatory Regents exams that are now being labeled as “optional.”

While some students may choose to take these optional exams, the gap between students who excel and those who fall behind will only widen.

All New York students deserve the challenge and support of high expectations, exam-based graduation standards, and teachers who are capable of preparing them for tests.

By eliminating the Regents requirements for graduation, a disservice is being done to these students.

Maud Maron is an NYC public school parent and president of the consulting firm ThirdRail.