Real Journalism written by people

Letters to the Editor: Regents

silhouettes of hands raised for teacher

Dear Red Hook Star-Revue,

I recently graduated from college so I’m not too far removed from high school, which is usually associated with taking the Regents, but my high school (The Beacon School) used portfolio-based assessments (PBAs) instead, so my experience was a bit different. As mentioned in the article, the only regent I had to take was the ELA one, and I remember leaving the test feeling good about myself because it was much easier than a typical PBA. A  PBA could be a test, project, presentation, essay, or some combination of all of them (depending on the subject).

Most of my friends took the regents since we went to different high schools, and based on what they’ve told me, their classes focused on preparing them for the Regents. My school felt like the opposite. Each PBA was designed based on what we were doing in class, rather than using class time to prepare us for a test. I was drawn to the idea of not having to take the Regents when I began high school, but I also think each PBA covered more material and was more challenging than the Regents I did take. In hindsight, I think my high school’s system was beneficial and helped prepare me for college.

It’s possible that other schools will slowly turn to similar assessments instead of the Regents but as the article says, for most schools the Regents are all they’ve ever known, and that makes it unlikely that they’ll be willing to take a risk and make such a significant change.

From Brian Abate

Author

  • Blake Sandberg is an artist, musician, filmmaker, skateboarder, company owner/. Sandberg is known for his painting and drawing; as well as his post-punk band Aliens. Sandberg also founded and runs a skateboard and printed goods company called Severed Leg Productions. While a long time east-coaster, his roots are in Austin, Texas.

    View all posts

Discover more from Red Hook Star-Revue

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Share:

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

READ OUR FULL PRINT EDITION

Our Sister Publication

Most Popular

On Key

Related Posts

Shakespeare returns to the park

News from the neighborhood. Red Hook & Gowanus Subscribe to get the Star-Revue’s newsletters throughout the month. No spam · Unsubscribe anytime · Privacy policy On a rainy weekday evening in Carroll Park, activity and mounting anticipation. Volunteers drag chairs into place across the plaza stones. Actors, not yet in costume, leap about on stage, practicing their swordfight choreographies. A

Exhibition Review: Anders Knutsson’s  The Ultimate Radical Painting

In his latest exhibition at The Wall Gallery, The Ultimate Radical Painting, Brooklyn-based artist Anders Knutsson invites viewers into a fascinating but unknown art-territory where the painting serves as a bridge between the rational mind and the spiritual. Spanning four decades of work from 1986 to 2026, the exhibition is a masterclass in how you can experience the dual character

Quinn on Books: A Brownsville Fire That Still Burns, “Livonia Chow Mein”

Review of “Livonia Chow Mein,” by Abigail Savitch-Lew Is it true what people say—you can’t go home again? My partner once remarked, “The Germany I left isn’t the same Germany I’d return to.” I’ve never left New York, and I feel just as disoriented. Abigail Savitch-Lew’s debut, “Livonia Chow Mein,” is a novel about belonging. Set in Brownsville, Brooklyn, it

Grella on Jazz: Following Miles

Miles Davis is more than a musician, he’s an icon. The aspects of that shifted through the years and eras of his life, and that continues in his afterlife—his centennial is May 26. The fashion figure has vanished from popular culture since the end of The Gap’s mid-1990s campaign showing Miles (and Jack Kerouac, Steve McQueen, and others) wearing khakis.

✕
Red Hook- Star Revue

FREE
VIEW