Lowering standards is a slippery slope

My last blog entry was about “racing to the top” and praised our state’s high academic standards and increased accountability for schools. I think it’s ironic, and rather unfortunate, that today’s entry has to talk about the possibility of our state moving backwards in what we require of our students.

As we all know, New York State is currently experiencing the greatest economic crisis in our history. The State deficit is projected to grow to over 9 billion dollars in some experts’ estimation. Most people are aware of how this financial crisis affects individual school budgets. But sadly, the newest possible victim of the state’s dire financial straits is the high educational standards and expectations that have long been the hallmark of New York State.

The state is proposing the elimination of 13 of 17 Regents Examinations, tests given to high school students at the end of each course of study to determine their competency in the subject. The elimination of these tests will save the State in the area of 14 million dollars. This is a substantial amount of money but I’m worried… is there a greater cost to this type of move?

Is the money saved worth lowering our expectations and discarding the high rigor of education in New York State? Will this move send students out of our high schools into the “flat world” of the 21st century unprepared to be productive and successful adults? Will we doom our students to entering post secondary education without the knowledge needed to gain a degree or certificate?

These are the questions that need to be answered before we short-circuit our standards and expectations. New York State has long been a national flag bearer for high standards and academic rigor in our public schools. Our standards are arguably the most comprehensive and rigorous in the country.

Here in Watervliet, our faculty, staff and administration have dedicated ourselves to the standards put forth by the State Education Department. These standards are the basis of our curriculum development and alignment and at the root of our school improvement process; a process that has improved our students' academic achievement and removed our district from School In Need of Improvement designation.

Eliminating Regents exams is a slippery slope that will erode these standards and have a negative impact on the quality of education here in Watervliet and in the entire state.