Goodbye Midterm Week! Well…Sort of
Photo Credit: Alberto G. http://www.flickr.com/photos/albertogp123/5843577306/in/photostream
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January 13, 2012 • Maria Ragonese, Features Editor
Filed under News, Top Stories
In May of last year, New York State had made a decision not to have January regents for the 2012 school year because they could not get the money from the State legislator. The State needs roughly $1.5 million to fund the standardized tests and legislature refused to pay for the funding of these tests because of the declining economy. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg was a man determined to help students in high school get the advantage of being able to take the Regents Exams in January. Mayor Bloomberg made phone calls to five private donors asking if they would help fund the standardized tests needed to help students pass. All five of the donors that he called said yes, and he also put in money to pay for these tests.
The January exams are very important to graduating in New York State. Students have to pass a math, science, American history, global history, and English to graduate from high school. The Regents that are set up in January are important to students who have failed the regents the previous year or for those who are graduating high school early.
While there was confusion for a while over the January Regents, many teachers were not sure about giving midterms since the midterm week seemed to be cancelled. Now that the Regents are definitely being given, some teachers are opting out of giving midterms, while others are asking students to take the test during their normally scheduled classes. Those who are giving midterms are giving them within the last two weeks of the marking period. Teachers are considerate and asking their students what other subjects they are being tested in and which day so that they are not overwhelming the students with multiple tests in one day. The school has asked that math teachers give their tests within the first week, if they decide they want to give a midterm.
This new schedule can be stressful for some students, especially waiting to hear if they will have a midterm in certain classes. Students who do not have any tests will be thankful. For those students that do have tests, they may be worried about how they will study when they have homework to do for other classes after getting home from school. Students are advised to talk to your teachers and make sure you have the correct day for your tests. Also, ask teachers if they will be doing in class reviews, as well as after school. If they are not doing after school review and you feel that you need more time to review the material, ask them if they will help you one on one. The nice thing about being in a small school like Voorheesville is that the teachers have more time to spend one on one with the students for extra help. Good luck to all students taking any Regents in the upcoming weeks as well as those students taking regular midterms for your classes!
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