Every year, high school students across New York State sit for their Regents exams; tests designed to assess students’ understanding of subjects like math, science and history. For decades, these exams have been an essential component of the state’s education system, acting as a graduation requirement and measure of student achievement. Supporters argue that the tests provide a fair way to evaluate knowledge, making sure that all students meet the same academic standards.
But not everybody believes the Regents are the best indicator of academic readiness. Some feel the tests are a good measure of their abilities, but others point out a single test should not fully demonstrate the material that was learned during the year. Stressing over the tests, time limits and various learning styles also enter the picture in how students perform.
Regents season approaches as students are sharing thoughts on the impact that these exams will have. Whether they feel like it is an accurate assessment and what suggestions, if any, could improve these exams.
Freshman Jacob Becerril was asked whether he believed regents accurately reflected his academic abilities.
“They are very stressful. A lot of kids work under different stress levels and some may not be able to work at their full capacity especially under a time limit,” he said.
For some students, the pressure of a timed exam creates stress that prevents them from performing at their best. Varying learning styles and stress responses can also lead to lower scores for those with test taking anxiety.
Becerril then suggests an alternative, “I think there are better ways to test other kids and not put them under such big pressure. Maybe, there could be a project or an assignment that isn’t as big of an impact,” he said.
Freshman Kayla Rodriguez said, “I feel like regents exams are a way of colleges or people seeing what you know based on what’s being Photo of student stressing out over regents. shown on tests.”
But she does agree that for students who may have test anxiety, it can impact results, “When they take the test they might not do as well because of that pressure or anxiety,” she said.
11th grader, Jillian Vazquez Perez said, “You basically have to remember everything since the beginning of the year so most students forget everything towards the end.”
Many students end up memorizing information rather than learning it, especially when they procrastinate studying to the last minute. Since these tests cover a curriculum from the whole year; it is easy to forget the material and instead of understanding the concepts, the main goal is trying to get through the test – only to forget everything afterwards.
Students will have to deal with the challenges of standardized testing once again as Regents season approaches. Exams continue to be an important aspect of highschool, regardless of whether they are seen as an unwarranted cause of stress or a fair measure of academic success. The discussion of whether there is a better approach to evaluate learning remains a debate as testing continues.
