Approximately two months from now, most students will be required to sit for a set of Regents Examinations for certain courses in order to graduate. However, the majority of students are unsure  of why they are taking these mandatory exams to graduate. Senior Sarah Spruchman said, “The regents is there to separate the smart people from the less fortunate.”

According to Kevin Conway, Assistant Principal, “The first Regents Exams were given in the mid-1800,s and were intended to create a new ‘academic class’ of students.  Since then, the Regents Exams have undergone many changes, and now almost all students are required to take a set of Regents Exams to graduate New York State public high schools.

According to the New York State Education Department (NYSED) and the Board of Regents, the purpose of the Regents Exams is to ensure that students graduating from New York public high schools learn the core concepts and skills in each core subject area.  Furthermore, the fact that Regents are statewide standardized tests allows the Board of Regents to collect student assessment data and measure trends in different schools districts.  Finally, students who successfully sit for additional regent’s in specific subject areas are awarded an Advanced Regents Diploma.”

According to the New York City Department of Education’s website (P12.nysed.gov), the regents exams will take place between June 16th to June 24th. Below is the examination schedule for June 2015:

• June 2, Tuesday: 9:15 a.m., English Language Arts (Common Core)

• June 2, Tuesday: 1:15 p.m., Geometry (Common Core)

• June 16, Tuesday: 9:15 a.m., U.S. History & Government

• June 16, Tuesday: 1:15 p.m., Living Environment

• June 17, Wednesday: 9:15 a.m., Global History & Geography

• June 17, Wednesday: 1:15 p.m., Physics, Algebra I (Common Core)

• June 18, Thursday: 9:15 a.m., Integrated Algebra

• June 18, Thursday: 1:15 p.m., Comprehensive English

• June 19, Friday: 9:15 a.m., Earth Science & Algebra II/Trigonometry

• June 19, Friday: 1:15 p.m., Geometry

• June 22, Monday: 9:15 a.m., RCT in Global Studies

• June 22, Monday: 1:15 p.m., RCT in Writing

• June 23, Tuesday: 9:15 a.m., Chemistry

• June 23, Tuesday: 1:15 p.m., RCT in U.S. History & Government

• June 24, Wednesday: 9:15 a.m., RCT in Reading

• June 24, Wednesday: 1:15 p.m., RCT in Mathematics

For more information: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/assessment/schedules/2015/regents615rev.pdf