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Board members criticize Regents exams; district cites 'no harm' policy for students
Summary
Sachem board members and staff criticized recent Regents exams as poorly written, with questions above intended readability and some items outside standards; the district said it enacted a 'no harm' policy and will present related results and information to trustees.
Multiple trustees and staff raised concerns about the recent Regents exams during the July 1 meeting, saying the tests contained questions that were poorly written, above students’ grade-level readability and, in some instances, questions with duplicate choices or no correct answer.
A trustee who proctored exams described students struggling with the tests and called the experience "torture," saying the exam did not reflect the taught standards and that some questions were not aligned with current curricula. Another trustee thanked the cabinet for acting quickly and for implementing a district "no harm" policy to prevent the exams from negatively affecting student records.
Trustees urged continued review of the testing materials and requested that administration provide results and any follow-up information in upcoming packets. Administration said it would include exam results and related materials in the packet being prepared for trustees.
Board members framed the concerns as problems with the test items and with the company or entity that produced the exams; administration emphasized that teacher preparation was not the cause and supported the district’s decision to limit negative consequences for students while the issues are reviewed.
