Part II is a supplement that offers comments on other important matters on the Regents agenda. The School Report Cards for 2001 show more students taking and passing Regents exams in all subjects, more exceeding the standards, and some of the gaps closing. Students are not performing as well in mathematics, however, and that is a problem that demands attention at every level of the school system. School accountability results appear for the first time. Schools below the standards must meet adequate yearly improvement targets.
Urban schools have far to go.
For the first time, the public and all educators know exactly how far the schools must improve in the coming years. These results are disturbing, but the intent is to focus on improvement. Regents will consider still another data set to prepare themselves to review the effect of their policy to permit students to pass the Regents exams at 55 during the initial years of the reform. This was a topic we agreed to study after the November Forum. The issue is complex and we need to allow ourselves enough time to hear from parents, educators, employers and other citizens.