The state's top school leaders are pushing ahead with a landmark change in high school graduation requirements for Regents history exams, amid protests by social studies teachers and their allies that it weakens academic scholarship and students' grounding in world and national events.
Merryl Tisch, chancellor of the state's Board of Regents, said Thursday that the policymaking group will vote Monday on the proposal known as "alternative pathways" to high school diplomas.
One of the plan's provisions would allow students to waive taking one of two Regents exams -- U.S. history or global history -- in exchange for completing a sequence of technical or occupational courses that culminate in a practical-skills test....State education officials said most students probably would opt for skipping the global history exam.
Students still would be required to complete courses in both U.S. and global history, even if they later chose to waive one of the exams.The change would be a major shift in state policy, first established in 1995. That year, state school leaders set the goal of having students pass Regents exams in five subjects: English, math, science and the two history courses.Federal law requires assessments in English, math and science, leaving only the history exams subject to potential waivers.
I'm in favor of career and vocational training in high schools.
I'm glad the Regents are coming back around to emphasizing career and vocational training.
But I also know that educrats only value subjects that get tested by the state.
With the Regents set to let students waive one of the two social studies exams currently required by the state, they are making a value statement about social studies.
Which is to say, they value the subject a lot less than ELA, math and science.
That should make you feel good if you're a social studies teacher.
You and your chosen subject expertise are no longer as valuable as they used to be - at least in the eyes of the Board of Regents.
This somewhat boggles my mind. I thought you were dead-set against testing. Students still have to take and pass the courses.
ReplyDeleteNot taking a stand either way - just pointing out that what gets tested is what is valued in 21st Century education, so clearly social studies is a little less valued than it used to be by the educrats.
DeleteAlso pointing out that the standards-meisters in power just lowered the standards from two social studies Regents exams to one.
Before you judge, take a look at the test. The multiple choice is ridiculous. Who needs to know about the Gupta Dynasty? Otto Von Bismarck? Camillo Cavour? Cover the Renaissance in 2 days? What's the point? This change will allow Global Studies teachers to teach more of what matters. Also the 2 year course sequence with a test at the end of 10th grade made no sense what so ever? It was the kiss of death for many students. The question is all those kids who failed this test, failed to get a diploma, will they have any recourse against this failed experiment? Finally, I went to HS in NY pre1995 and we took the 2 year Global course and there was no Regents exam and the world did not fall apart, so everyone calm down. This is a good change.
ReplyDeleteI understand all of that. And I'm not weighing in on that one way or another here.
DeleteWat I am doing is pointing out that the"standards" people - i.e., Dr King and Chancellor Tisch - have lowered the standards for history.
So the next time that they tell us how they're pushing higher standards, rigor, blah blah blah, they should be told how full of crap they are.
Cheer up history buffs, never mind all this STEM nonsense. In the lower grades they are treating science with the same illegitimate red headed status. No testy not preppy as the gut at the laundry used to say,
ReplyDeleteI look forward to hearing King's and Tisch's spin on Tuesday, I'll tell you that.
DeleteI wonder how "rigor" will have to be present in the CTE classes that replace history?
Does anyone see this as a step towards eliminating Social Studies altogether and having that content become the content of ELA (instead of literature, which can't be measure by lexiles)? Seems to be the way things are headed to me.
ReplyDeleteYes, which is certainly helped along by the informational text push in ELA classrooms.
DeleteThe less the proletariat knows about history and government, the easier it is to exert control over them.
ReplyDeleteThere are some values which nearly considered to be so evident and we would also feel more reliable while writing and preventing from those circumstances, a good element to regard those essentials.
ReplyDelete