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Should the Regents accept the staff recommendation for a transition plan to develop and implement the new high school Regents mathematics examinations?
This question will come before the EMSC-VESID Committee for action on December 8, 2005.
In March 2005, the Regents adopted the high school performance indicators for Algebra, Geometry, and Algebra 2 and Trigonometry, along with the alignment modifications to prekindergarten through grade 8, as recommended by the Mathematics Standards Committee.  At that meeting, the Regents also agreed to consider the Committee’s remaining four high school recommendations at a later date.  In June the Regents reviewed the staff responses to the four recommendations and, in October, approved the following policies on three of the recommendations:
·       That the mathematics graduation requirement for a Regents Diploma will be the passing of one Regents examination in mathematics, and the passing of three units of credit of high school mathematics.  Credit granted for the Algebra course is limited to two units.
·       That the mathematics graduation requirement for a Regents Diploma with Advanced Designation will be the passing of three units of credit of high school mathematics, and the passing of the Regents examinations in Algebra, Geometry, and Algebra 2 and Trigonometry.
Also in June, the Regents discussed the pros and cons of test implementation timeline issues associated with the fourth recommendation concerning the new high school mathematics Regents examinations.  After further discussion in October, the Regents agreed to take action in December after providing a public comment period to gather field input.  The Department posted an online survey, and received approximately 2,300 responses.
The critical issues to be considered in setting the implementation timeline for the new mathematics Regents examinations are the readiness of the educational community in aligning the curriculum with the new mathematics performance indicators, the opportunity for students to receive instruction aligned to those performance indicators, and the adequacy of professional development in preparing teachers to shift instructional practice to the new mathematics high school courses.
Members of the educational community are strongly encouraging the Department to move quickly to implement the new Integrated Algebra and Geometry Regents examinations.  In response to that request and the survey results, staff recommend approval of the following timeline for administering the new mathematics Regents examinations:
o                schedule the first administration of the Integrated Algebra Examination along with the Mathematics A Examination in June 2008;
o                schedule the administration of both the Integrated Algebra Examination along with the Mathematics A Examination in January 2009 (the last administration of Mathematics A);
o                schedule the first administration of the Geometry Examination along with Mathematics B in June 2009 (the last administration of Mathematics B would be in June 2010); and
o                schedule the first administration of the Algebra 2 and Trigonometry Examination in June 2010.
The attached report provides more details on the results of the online survey as well as the proposed implementation schedule for the new mathematics Regents examinations.
VOTED:  That the Board of Regents accept the staff recommendations for the implementation timeline for the new Mathematics Regents Examinations, as outlined in the attached document.
Upon approval by the Regents, notification of the implementation schedule will be disseminated to the field.
Implementation Timeline for New Mathematics Regents Examinations
The Mathematics Standards Committee recommended that new Regents examinations be developed and administered for each of the three new mathematics courses (Algebra, Geometry, and Algebra 2 and Trigonometry).  In June 2005, the Regents discussed the pros and cons of test implementation timeline issues associated with the new examinations.  After further discussion in October, the Regents agreed to take action in December after providing a public comment period to gather field input.
There are several critical issues to be considered in setting the implementation timeline for the new mathematics Regents examinations:
·       the readiness of the educational community in aligning the curriculum with the new mathematics performance indicators;
·       the opportunity for students to receive instruction aligned to those performance indicators to meet unit of study and assessment graduation requirements; and
·       the adequacy of professional development in preparing teachers to shift instructional practice to the new mathematics high school courses.
The Department posted an online survey to solicit field comment on implementation of the new Regents Mathematics Examinations.  Approximately 2,300 responses were received.  The survey was designed to collect responses on issues relating to familiarity with the new mathematics performance indicators for grades 3-8 and high school; alignment of the mathematics curriculum with the new mathematics standard and performance indicators; the preparation of school staff for teaching the new high school Mathematics courses; and the preparation of students for taking the new Regents examinations.  A summary of some of the responses follows:
·       About 76 percent of respondents want the first Integrated Algebra Examination to be administered in June 2008.  Many respondents commented that the Mathematics A and B Examinations should be abandoned as soon as possible.
·       62 percent of respondents indicated they were very knowledgeable about the new grades 7-12 mathematics standard, and 32 percent indicated they were somewhat knowledgeable.
·       38 percent of respondents reported that for grades 7-8 they were very well aligned with the new mathematics standard, while 39 percent were moderately aligned and 9 percent were not well aligned.
·       When asked if district K-12 mathematics curricula were aligned with the new mathematics standard and performance indicators, 26 percent said yes, while 74 percent said no.
·       When asked if their districts were in the process of aligning curricula to the mathematics standard and performance indicators, 59 percent said yes, while 41 percent said no.
·       When asked if professional development training programs had been designed to adjust the mathematics curricula, 83 percent said no, while 16 percent said yes.
·       52 percent indicated they would object to the use of a vendor to develop the Regents examinations, while 48 percent said that they would not object.  The field was evenly divided about the use of a vendor to produce Regents examinations.
What We Learned From the Survey Results
There is strong support in the field for rapid implementation of the new Integrated Algebra Examination, but major gaps in knowledge of the revised standards, curriculum alignment, and professional development.  If the mathematics curricula are not well aligned with the new standard and performance indicators, we know there will be difficulty in getting accurate field test results and that a low level of preparedness among teachers could damage the program if we move too quickly.  The following are issues that the Regents and Department staff must consider based on the survey results in setting an implementation timeline as well as staff comment where appropriate:
·       While there have been some calls to administer the first Integrated Algebra Examination in June 2007, Department staff do not recommend this course of action.  Attempting to administer the new examination that quickly would impede our ability to ensure that all students have received instruction based on the new mathematics standard and performance indicators, and would compromise the steps necessary for the effective development of the new Regents examinations.  This leaves June 2008 as the first viable opportunity to administer the new Integrated Algebra Examination.
·       There is widespread concern in the field about the Mathematics A and B examinations and a strong desire to move away from them. While this sentiment is strong, there are also data indicating that moving too quickly involves risks that can negatively impact students.
·       Based on discussions with mathematics educators and administrators and the survey results, there appears to be an uneven shift to the new mathematics standard and performance indicators in school districts and classrooms across the State.  There is still a sizable portion who have not made the transition, which will impact instruction and subsequent student performance.  High school mathematics instructors are more knowledgeable than their peers in grades 3-8 about the new standard and performance indicators.  However, successful completion of the Integrated Algebra course and Regents examination is dependent on the instruction that students receive in grades 7-8.
·       The uneven nature of the responses to the questions in the survey clearly signals that the field, while anxious to move to the new examinations, may not have done all of the background work necessary to make an effective transition by June 2008. The uneven student access to the new Mathematics Standard and curriculum across school districts will also affect our ability to appropriately field test the new mathematics Regents examinations. If field test data is skewed, this will negatively impact the test development, standard-setting, and scaling processes.
·       Comprehensive professional development at all levels must occur to ensure that instructional staff are prepared for the upcoming changes.  The survey results on this point were disturbing.  Teachers must have appropriate professional development and be comfortable with the direction that both the Department and their respective school districts are taking regarding the format and implementation of courses designed to help students meet the new mathematics standard and performance indicators.  Implementing these changes prior to appropriate training may hurt students.  While it is expected that many districts will conduct more formal training, curriculum development, and alignment activities during summer 2006 for implementation during the 2006-2007 school year, this remains an area of concern.
·       Department staff has discussed the possible need for a vendor to develop the new mathematics examinations if these examinations become operational by 2008 and 2009, respectively. If a vendor model is implemented, we are fully committed to having New York State teachers remain actively involved with test specification design, item selection and review, range-finding, and standard-setting.  We would continue this practice in any contract with a vendor for the development of the new mathematics Regents examinations.
After careful consideration of the field comment, Department staff recommend that the Board of Regents approve the following as the implementation timeline for the new Mathematics Regents Examinations:
o                schedule the first administration of the Integrated Algebra Examination along with the Mathematics A Examination in June 2008;
o                schedule the administration of both the Integrated Algebra Examination along with the Mathematics A Examination in January 2009 (the last administration of Mathematics A);
o                schedule the first administration of the Geometry Examination along with Mathematics B in June 2009 (the last administration of Mathematics B would be in June 2010); and
o                schedule the first administration of the Algebra 2 and Trigonometry Examination in June 2010.
Attachment A provides this schedule in chart form.
Implementation of this timeline will allow the transition from Mathematics A and B to the new Regents Examinations in Integrated Algebra, Geometry and Algebra 2 and Trigonometry and provide flexibility for districts who are at various levels of readiness in aligning curricula with the new Mathematics Standard and performance indicators.  To produce a valid and reliable Integrated Algebra Examination for administration in June 2008 and a Geometry Examination for administration in June 2009, the Department may issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) for an external vendor to construct the two new examinations, with three test forms produced per year.  We would convene a group of New York State mathematics teachers to review Item Maps and Core Curricula for Mathematics A and B to formally identify priority content.
Under this plan, both the Mathematics A and Integrated Algebra Examinations would be administered in June 2008 and January 2009.  The last administration of Mathematics A would be in January 2009.  In June 2009, Integrated Algebra and Integrated Geometry would be administered along with Mathematics B.   The Mathematics B Regents Examination would sunset no later than June 2010.
Such an RFP would require the vendor to adhere to the Department’s standard test development process. New York State teachers would be involved in the design of the test specifications and blueprint, item review and selection, range-finding, and standard-setting. For the first two-three administrations of each test, all test items would be developed by the vendor; for subsequent administrations, the vendor would conduct item writing workshops and New York State teachers would be invited to submit items for review and possible inclusion.  The estimated development timeline for these tests is as follows: