The Exercise
From an educational management perspective the implementation of any state wide reform agenda is a daunting task. This is especially true when the reform measure is a modification of existing practice and precedent and not a new condition. Implementation must start with the current situation New York public schools find themselves in . Assuming a " bell curve" of previous performance it is likely that problems of full state wide implementation will "cluster" in those districts already above the threshold of any anticipated "improvement" and in those districts that either have no present Regents program (by choice) or have performed so poorly in the past that they see no chance of meeting the Board of Regents expectation.
In the case of implementing each Regents subject there are two sub questions of evaluating successful compliance to the Board of Regents expectations. First, the present meaning of successfully passing the year end examination in any Regents subject is 65 percent. If your district has received a variance, it is possible that students scoring between 50 and 64 can be "counted" as passing the equivalent of a basic competency test in the content area and be eliminated from the Regents subject. On the other end of the spectrum there are many educators that argue that 65 percent is not an evaluation of exemplary or high performance. This is especially true in conventional Regents subject areas like Comprehensive English where many k-12 districts look to 80 or 85 percent passing as a minimum quality standard.
Second, if the ultimate desire of the Board of Regents is to have each secondary student taking Regents curricula and all passing a standard examination process, then the meaning of full implementation depends upon the numbers of children in class and being examined. Currently, large numbers of secondary students avoid taking Regents courses altogether and some that do sit through the class do not take the year end examination. The State Education Department uses a composite statistic called the " percent of average enrolled passing" as a measure of who are Regents performers. Each Regents subject is assumed to be equivalent to a single school grade (e.g., Comprehensive English and the 9th Grade). To compile the "average" statistic, the number of children in Grades 9-12 are divided by four, then one-fourth is formed into a ratio with the number of children in the Regents subjects that successfully pass the year end examination. There is no weighting or compensation for the fact that ninth grades are usually larger than twelfth grades due to dropouts and attrition. There is no concession to the very small school district that may create "critical masses" of small numbers of children regardless of their particular secondary grade. In any case, the "percent of average enrolled passing" will likely be the statistic used in state wide reporting of the status of All Regents implementation. Exercise One:
The following chart lists the seventy k-12 districts in the state that had more than 80 percent or four fifths of their "average enrolled" secondary students passing the Regents Comprehensive English examination in 1994-1995. (there were 235 districts that scored 65% or better in average enrolled passing). The districts that registered more than 100% students passing (e.g., Schroon Lake, Brookfield, Averill Park, Prattsburg, Johnsburg) are likely "critical mass" districts. Information is also given on the Regents Diploma productivity for the 1994-1995 year,. You will notice several districts with very low or zero Regents Diploma percents although they are in the high passing English subject group of jurisdictions. There is also an accumulation of Regents points derived from a study by the author (see Highest Performing Districts on Eaps 760 Web page) and the total k-12 enrollment for the district. Students may wish to calculate the secondary school portion of enrollment as one-third (twelfths) and the more realistic (one-fourth) of all students.
- First question:
- How would you subdivide and network these districts to increase the percentages of "average enrolled passing" English Language Arts to one hundred percent?
- Second Question:
- How would you study what these districts do to change their present Comprehensive English curriculum to meet the "evidence of growth" (range, flexibility, connections, conventions and independence) at the elementary, intermediate and commencement levels of English Language Arts expectations?
- Third Question:
- Assume you are the principal of the secondary school in any of the districts listed. How would you relate the improvement efforts in the English Language Arts to productivity of Regents Diplomas and facilitating the full implementation of an all Regents secondary program by 2003?
District County English % Regs Dips Points Enrollment North Colonie Albany 82 68.8 24.5 5073 Voorheesville Albany 83 53.7 20.0 1282 Vestal Broome 81 61.0 18.5 4295 Weedsport Cayuga 88 49.3 11.5 1049 Bainbridge-Guilf Chenango 81 41.3 4.5 1198 Chatham Columbia 80 48.9 10.0 1550 Sidney Delaware 85 41.7 4.5 1597 Rhinebeck Dutchess 83 54.2 7.0 1227 Clarence Erie 81 41.3 8.0 3611 Lake Placid Essex 93 47.6 7.5 828 Minerva Essex 82 80.0 10.0 157 Schroon Lake Essex 133 47.4 5.0 291 Westport Essex 84 41.7 13.5 287 LeRoy Genesee 84 52.5 7.0 1492 Town of Webb Herkimer 100 72.2 16.5 395 Lyme Jefferson 83 44.0 8.0 395 General Brown Jefferson 86 53.9 5.5 1716 South Lewis Jefferson 89 41.9 0.5 1494 Copenhagen Lewis 93 68.4 6.5 663 Lowville Lewis 84 58.8 12.5 1602 Brookfield Madsion 111 46,7 6.0 269 Brockport Monroe 80 46.7 4.0 4728 Pittsford Monroe 92 76.5 30.0 5154 Bellmore-Merrick Nassau 80 64.6 22.0 4709 Carle Place Nassau 95 53.7 14.0 1468 Garden City Nassau 90 76.1 38.0 3044 Great Neck Nassau 86 70.1 28.0 5462 Hewlett-Wood Nassau 81 56.0 17.5 2882 Hicksville Nassau 81 45.2 6.0 4438 Jericho Nassau 97 72.7 34.0 2105 Locust Valley Nassau 95 62.9 16.5 1976 Manhasset Nassau 83 63.7 29.0 2258 Oyster Bay Nassau 84 57.9 16.5 1329 Rockville Ctr Nassau 81 67.6 33.5 3220 Roslyn Nassau 83 65.3 32.0 2489 Seaford Nassau 83 61.1 16.0 2317 Syosset Nassau 82 67.1 34.0 5277 Remsen Oneida 81 38.8 6.0 674 Jamesville-DeW Onondaga 80 64.8 23.5 2402 Skateateles Onondaga 81 65.5 19.0 1732 West Genesee Onondaga 87 58.7 9.0 4775 Honeoye Ontario 96 41.2 6.5 1032 Victor Ontario 80 54.7 7.0 2858 Cornwall` Orange 81 53.6 11.5 2475 Mahopac Putnam 83 51.2 17.5 4046 Averill Park Rensselaer 129 54.4 9.0 2918 East Greenbush Rensselaer 80 56.8 4.0 4444 Pearl River Rockland 91 62.8 14.0 1900 Burnt Hills Saratoga 83 62.6 13.0 3340 Prattsburg Steuben 42.4 8.0 541 108 Cold Spr. Harbor Suffolk 93 69.6 32.0 1480 Fishers Island Suffolk 83 20.0 10.5 66 Half Hollow Hills Suffolk 83 70.4 33.0 7069 Kings Park Suffolk 83 57.9 20.0 3142
District County English % Regs Dips Points Enrollment Mattituck Suffolk 96 52.2 12.5 1258 Mt. Sinai Suffolk 82 66.7 21.0 2077 Shelter Island Suffolk 90 60.0 16.5 241 Southold Suffolk 100 53.1 16.5 792 Three Village Suffolk 80 66.8 26.5 6777 Johnsburg Warren 107 44.4 4.0 419 Salem Washington 84 21.0 4.5 861 Wayne Wayne 84 78.0 20.5 2692 Ardsley Westchester 81 66.7 28.0 1657 Bryam Hills Westchester 85 0.9 19.5 1879 Irvington Westchester 81 0.0 10.0 1206 Mamaroneck Westchester 80 0.0 9.5 3749 North Salem Westchester 81 44.8 9.5 1073 Pelham Westchester 91 51.3 16.0 1759 Rye Neck Westchester 81 46.0 3.0 1065 Tuckahoe Westchester 85 33.9 8.5 980
Exercise Two:
In 1994-1995 there were fifty nine k-12 districts that reported thirty five or less percent of their "average enrolled" students in Regents Comprehensive English passed the year end test. The chart below lists the districts along with information on Regents Diploma productivity, accumulation of Regents Points and k-12 enrollment.
- Question One:
- A district with zero or very low percent of students passing Regents Comprehensive English, zero Regents diplomas given yet high overall Regents points(e.g., Brighton, Blind Brook. Chappeaqua, Herricks) represents a different "all Regents implementation" policy issue than districts with low or zero English passing, marginal Regents diploma production and low overall Regents points(e.g., Franklin, Livonia, West Babylon, Jefferson-Youngsville). How would you convince both groupings of districts to work on improving their 1996-1997 Regents English Language Arts activity toward 100 percent passing?
- Question Two:
- Large k-12 districts like Buffalo, Rochester, Mount Vernon and Schenectady had between 20 and 35 percent of their "average enrolled students passing" Regents Comprehensive English in 1994-1995. New York City district would also be in this group. To what extent are these low percents due to the large numbers of students possibly involved in Regents activity and the numbers of building sites where such activity would take place? What special implementation efforts must be made to promote Regents English Language Arts toward 100 percent passing?
- Question Three:
- Very small districts like Oppenheim-Ephratah, Limestone, Bradford, St. Regis Falls, Morris, Livingston Manor, St. Johnsville and Eldred had between 20 and 35 percent of their "average enrolled students passing" Regents Comprehensive English in 1994-1995. To what extent are these low percents due to the large numbers of students possibly involved in Regents activity ? What special implementation efforts must be made to promote Regents English Language Arts toward 100 percent passing?
District County English % Regs Dips Points Enrollment Franklin Delaware 0 29.2 2.0 412 Brighton Monroe 0 1.0 20.5 3000 Blind Brook Westchester 0 0.0 13.0 846 Bronxville Westchester 0 0.0 7.0 1078 Chappeaqua Westchester 0 0.0 15.0 3022 Croton-Harmon Westchester 0 47.2 7.0 1133 Livonia Livingston 1 41.2 0.0 2165
District County English % Regs Dips Points Enrollment West Babylon Suffolk 1 40.0 2.5 4215 Jefferson-Yongvil Sullivan 2 23.5 2.0 836 Hendrix Hudson Westchester 4 50.8 7.0 2287 Herricks Nassau 5 5.2 25.0 3487 Liverpool Onondaga 5 55.0 11.0 9630 Roosevelt Nassau 7 0.9 0.0 2955 Miller Place Suffolk 8 53.4 16.5 2665 Downsville Delaware 9 50.0 0.0 349 Catskill Greene 10 36.1 0.5 1717 Schoharie Schoharie 11 36.6 0.0 1308 Wyandach Suffolk 12 3.0 0.0 2127 Gouveneur St. Lawrence 13 48.4 1.0 2061 Newark Wayne 13 57.4 2.0 2891 Schalmont Schenectady 13 60.8 4.0 2296 Whitesville Alleghany 15 28.6 3.5 324 Edgemont Westchester 15 0.0 8.5 1397 Hempstead Nassau 15 3.4 1.0 5483 Milford Otsego 17 38.7 5.5 480 Commack Suffolk 19 67.5 21.5 5669 Galway Saratoga 19 56.1 6.5 1209 West Valley Cattaragus 19 70.8 6.0 441 Peekskill Westchester 20 29.6 0.0 2481 Brushton-Moriah Franklin 22 16.7 3.0 961 Rochester Monroe 23 18.4 0.0 34711 Frewsburg Chautaugua 23 37.3 0.0 1059 Homer Cortland 23 46.8 1.5 2648 Marathon Cortland 24 33.3 0.5 1032 White Plains Westchester 25 36.3 2.0 5575 Oppenheim-Ephr Fulton 26 30.8 0.0 549 Port Bryon Cayuga 26 26.2 2.0 1335 Limestone Cattaragus 26 12.5 1.5 244 Dover Dutchess 26 35.1 1.5 4291 Wells Hamilton 27 21.1 3.5 209 Schenectady Schenectady 27 32.5 0.0 7910 Bradford Steuben 30 33.3 2.0 330 Northport-E. Nor Suffolk 30 54.9 9.5 5197 West Hempstead Nassau 30 42.4 3.0 2187 Franklinville Cattaragus 31 40.3 0.5 958 Northeast Dutchess 31 42.9 3.5 1085 Mount Vernon Westchester 32 14.7 0.0 9609 St. Regis Falls Franklin 32 14.8 4.0 390 Buffalo Erie 33 21.7 0.0 46083 Middletown Orange 33 46.4 0.5 5392 Morris Otsego 33 48.9 11.0 461 Salamanca Cattaragus 33 28.9 1.0 1535 Dundee Yates 34 59.2 2.5 2165 Fallsburgh Sullivan 34 44.8 1.0 1367 Poughkeepsie Dutchess 34 33.3 0.0 3884 Livingston Manor Sullivan 34 36.6 4.0 735 Rensselaer Rensselaer 34 33.3 0.5 1012 St. Johnsville Montgomery 35 46.8 0.0 603 Eldred Sullivan 35 65.8 9.0 707
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