Hi to all! I am thrilled to find that the NY State Ed Dept. has exteneded the safety net for High School Diplomas. This means that, even though all students with disabilities will have to take Regent Classes/Exams, they are still allowing students who fail them to take (and pass) RCT’s for a Local Diploma!! This safety net now covers students entering 9th grade through the year 2004.
Apparently, the State Ed Department got flooded with calls, letters and e-mails from parents, teachers, administrators and even legislators, concerned over the elimation of local diploma. That left students the choice of extending their years in high school until they pass academic Regent requirements (or until their 21-whichever comes first), or excepting an IEP diploma. I guess the State finally realized the injust that would be done to so many students and extended the safety net.
My hopes are that, after collecting data from new state mandated testing, they will recongize that their intentions for higher standards are well meant, but not fisable for all our kids. Cross your fingers!!
Re: NY Extends Safety Net for HS Diploma
I am curious- because I am not that familiar with the NY educational system- hasn’t NY always had a regents exam that you have had to pass to graduate? My parents both graduated from HS in NYC and Mom tells me that both she and Dad did- and that was oh… back in the late forties- early fifties.
Robin
Re: NY Extends Safety Net for HS Diploma
Hi Robin,
Yes, NYS always has had the Regents exams and the Regents diploma for those who passed all the Regents exams in the various subjects. Those who could not pass all the Regents exams received a local dipoma, whether they were in regular ed or in special ed.
But a few years ago, in order to “raise the bar,” the Regents (a group of people who oversee this) in their infinite wisdom, decided that ALL students needed to pass the Regents exams and get a Regents diploma. No more local diploma for those in that vast gray area. The only exception were very challenged students who would get an IEP diploma, essentially just meeting their own individual IEP goals.
There was a vast outcry and so the Regents decided (after much criticism) that they couldn’t just impose this standard on ALL students who hadn’t been preparing for this level of achievement throughout their years of education.
Thus, they created the “safety net” which states that special ed students only who graduate up to the graduation year of 2003 could still graduate with a local diploma. (All younger students are mandated to be taught at a level which will prepare them for the Regents diploma.)
The catch is that ALL students must take the Regents exams and, if they do not pass with a 55, they may take the RCT’s (Regents Competency Exams) which are much easier.
Anyway, the post above mine gave the news that the Regents changed their mind (again, after public outcry) and extended the “safety net” to graduates in 2004.
Hope this explains it. These things change so much from state to state that it is hard to keep abreast of what’s going on.
Susan
It does- and
very clearly too. Thank you. Vermont is working through it’s own version of Standards Testing also and you are right- it is VERY confusing for a lot of folks and very hard on the kids who have challenges in their learning.
Happy Easter:)
Robin
Hi Maureen,
My son is an LD 10th grader on Long Island and until I read your post, I was under the impression that his class was the last class that would be able to be in the “Safety Net.”
One question: Does this only apply to classified students (under IDEA) or are regular students included? Of course, my son doesn’t have to be concerned and he is working toward a local diploma even though he is in all Regents classes. But he has a lot of friends who are not LD but are having difficulty passing some Regents. Two of his friends have just learned they failed Earth Science Regents for the 3rd time. They are not classified LD, they are just average students.
A lot of non-LD students fall into this vast gray area where they don’t qualify as LD yet they have trouble passing the Regents test.
This new mandate has got to go. It is so stupid. They will have tons of regular ed kids who will be spending a 5th year in HS — or dropping out. And the schools aren’t prepared for having many additional students beyond those who are spending their 4 years there.
What to do?
Susan