Less than half of city high-school students eligible to take the Regents math exam passed it last year, a key state lawmaker said yesterday.
“The number of students passing the Regents exams isn’t as high as anyone would wish it to be. The numbers are far short of the mark,” said Steven Sanders (D-Manhattan), chairman of the Assembly Education Committee.
The 47 percent passing rate doesn’t bode well because many students will be required to pass the Math Regents exam to graduate starting next year.
More than half of eligible students either didn’t take the exam or flunked it, Sanders said.
The state Education Department today will formally release its school report cards, which include high-school results on Regents exams covering math, English, science, global studies and history.
Students who enrolled in high school in 1996 are already required to pass the rigorous English Regents exam this year.
Over the next four years, tougher graduation requirements are also being phased in for science, history and global studies — as well as English and math — to earn a sheepskin.
In contrast with math, state educators previously reported that a far greater number of city students passed the English Regents exam.
Sanders said the number and percentage of students passing the Regents is up from several years ago, but added that wasn’t a cause for comfort.
“There are still far too many students — particularly in New York City — who are in high school for five, six and seven years,” he said.
Meanwhile, the public will also soon be able to see whether newly created charter schools are making the grade.
The Education Department has proposed regulations requiring charter schools — like public schools — to be subjected to annual report cards that would measure academic and fiscal performances — as required under a 1998 state law.
Under the Education Department’s plan, charter school report-card data would include graduation and dropout rates, student performance on standardized tests, college entry rates, total spending per pupil and administrative spending per pupil.