Xref: utzoo sci.math:5426 sci.physics:5616 comp.edu:1916 Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!ames!zodiac!joyce!gds From: gds@spam.istc.sri.com (Greg Skinner) Newsgroups: sci.math,sci.physics,comp.edu Subject: Re: Why American students are poorly educated Message-ID: <15827@joyce.istc.sri.com> Date: 19 Jan 89 17:05:31 GMT References: <14.UUL1.3#913@acw.UUCP> <1101@l.cc.purdue.edu> Sender: news@joyce.istc.sri.com Reply-To: gds@spam.istc.sri.com (Greg Skinner) Organization: SRI International, Menlo Park CA Lines: 37 In article johnm@uts.amdahl.com (John Murray) writes: >In other >educational systems, a person might have to pass a set of national closed- >book exams in several subjects in order to be considered for college. Such >exams can involve various essays, literary translations and reviews, and >other written discussions, as well as answers to factual questions. Many >countries also require oral exams in languages. The New York State Board of Regents has exams of this sort. Every student is required to pass an exam at the end of a course or a course sequence. Passing of all of these exams is required for your high school diploma. When I was in high school, the exams were in earth science (geology and meteorology combined), physics, chemistry, biology, 3 years of math, english, American history, and foreign languages. Some of the exams were totally multiple choice, while others also required filling in of blanks and essay questions. These exams were only a partial solution to the problems of standardized education in New York State. It had been discovered that people were getting into New York State colleges with less than twelfth grade reading levels. Also, some of the exams can be passed without good knowledge of the subject. (If you were good at manipulating equations, you could pass the physics exam without knowing too much physics because the equations were provided to you.) --gregbo p.s. I do not know the current state of the Regents exams. When I was back in NYC, I took a look at some of the review books. It appears they have revised the high school mathematics curricula somewhat, as there are more questions about probability, logic, and sets, and less involving algebraic manipulation. I think I recall my aunt telling me though that some students are given different "tracks" in high school, which might not require them to take some Regents exams, but I don't remember everything she said about it.