Budget-cutting proposal
New York's system of standardized, state-wide competency exams may become a victim of the budget crunch. The Board of Regents will discuss if the Regents' exams will continue, as it meets in Albany on Monday. The propsal is to cut 13 of the 17 standardized tests, including tests for math, social studies, foreign languages and geography. In addition, there's talk of not translating tests into Chinese,Korean, Russian and Haitian Creole. The exams in Spanish, however, would continue.
Officials say the cuts could save more than $13 million in test preparation costs.
Some teachers and school administrators, including the state School Boards Association, have already criticized the idea. In a statement, the state's Senior Deputy EducationCommissioner, John King, emphasized that no decision has been made."The Regents will simply be discussing various options at this time," he said.
Since the Regents tests affect the curriculum, paring them down could change high school courses and lower graduation requirements for millions of students.
The Associated Press contributed information for this story.
