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Board hears district analysis after new Regents biology and Earth science exams; superintendent says pass rates similar but top scores fell
Summary
Board members raised concerns about this year’s new Regents exams in biology and Earth science. Interim Superintendent Regan Johnson told the board that the district’s percentage of students scoring at or above proficiency was similar to prior years, but that fewer students earned the highest marks.
Board members discussed results from the recently administered Regents exams for biology and Earth & space science during the July 10 meeting, and asked how the district will support students who want to retake exams.
Board member Nina raised concerns about alignment between the new exam formats and classroom instruction and asked whether the district and state guidance were adequate for teachers and students. "I just don't want to see an exam ... that's not adequately addressing how the district was to be preparing the students," she said.
Interim Superintendent Regan Johnson said preliminary district data released in the days before the meeting show that the percentage of students scoring in the passing range (roughly the 3–5 scale) remained similar to previous years. "Our proficiency rate or our pass rate is very similar to how it has been in past years," Johnson said. She added that the change shows up in the average score distribution: "we have fewer students in 5 and more students in 3 and 4."
Johnson described the new exams as placing greater emphasis on scientific thinking, data interpretation and reasoning rather than on discrete content recall. She said the district has been aligning curriculum to the new standards since 2017 and that administrators chose to move to the new exam model this year to reflect that shift.
Board members asked what options students have to retake tests. Johnson said students who fail an exam must retake it if they need the Regents for graduation; options include summer school courses or taking a retake during the next administration. She noted that offering an in‑district August administration would require ordering exams and paying proctors and graders, and that the district already relies on regional summer‑school arrangements for access to August testing in many cases.
Why it matters: Regents results factor into graduation pathways and student placement. Board members asked the administration to monitor outcomes and to communicate options available — including retakes and summer support — to families.
Ending: Administration said it will continue to analyze results and to share further guidance with the board once additional state information is released.
