Change to Regents gives more career options to high schoolers
NORWICH – With the changes to graduation requirements recently approved by the New York State Board of Regents, DCMO BOCES is declaring a victory for high school students embarking on college and careers.
The New York State Board of Regents last week approved a measure that will allow students more options when it comes time to take their Regents exams. Whereas students were previously required to take five specific regents exams, the “Multiple Pathways” initiative offers a “4+1” test model, giving students more leeway to choose the topic of their fifth Regents exam.
DCMO BOCES says this is good news for students enrolled in its career and technical education (CTE) programs and hope to pursue college and career options in vocational fields, as well as arts, humanities and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).
“The biggest change in the Board of Regents’ decision is that students will be able to have their CTE course recognized as a major Regents exam,” explained Lee Shaver, Director of Career and Technology at DCMO BOCES. “I think this will have an impact to make it more socially acceptable for students to pursue career and technical education options in the future.”
And the change is not limited to CTE programs, added Shaver. While students must still take a Regents exam in math, English, science, and global history or U.S. history, there’s a good deal of flexibility for their fifth exam, so long as it meets the same rigorous criteria as other Regents exams.
“Students in school districts that are fortunate enough to have certain AP programs, performing arts or advanced programs for foreign languages will be able to take their fifth regents exam in those areas,” said Shaver. “Right now, there’s a list of 13 approved exams that the State Education Department has determined are comprehensively rigorous, and we anticipate there will be more to come.”
Advocates of the Pathways initiative say flexibility to pursue more desirable options keeps students motivated to stay in school and gain the skills to succeed in post-secondary education and various careers.
According to the New York State Educational Conference Board, there’s a need in today’s job market for specific skillsets that go beyond an entry-level job. A statement from the board in support of the Pathways initiative says, “CTE pathways can address the needs of the fastest growing industries in the state and nations, including those in the healthcare, renewable energy and STEM fields, thus helping to close a significant skills gap by providing rigorous, industry-aligned instruction and experiences.”
Many institutions have already taken steps to implement the Pathways model, said Shaver. The Board of Regents is likely to schedule a public comment period, but the initiative could be employed statewide as early as June.
Said Shaver, “We’re at a place now that so many people believe in order to be successful, you have to graduate from high school and get a bachelors degree. More and more, there’s a growing body of information that shows people can take multiple directions to be successful.”
A video highlighting advantages of the Multiple Pathways initiative can be found on the New York State Department of Education website at nysed.gov.
The New York State Board of Regents last week approved a measure that will allow students more options when it comes time to take their Regents exams. Whereas students were previously required to take five specific regents exams, the “Multiple Pathways” initiative offers a “4+1” test model, giving students more leeway to choose the topic of their fifth Regents exam.
DCMO BOCES says this is good news for students enrolled in its career and technical education (CTE) programs and hope to pursue college and career options in vocational fields, as well as arts, humanities and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).
“The biggest change in the Board of Regents’ decision is that students will be able to have their CTE course recognized as a major Regents exam,” explained Lee Shaver, Director of Career and Technology at DCMO BOCES. “I think this will have an impact to make it more socially acceptable for students to pursue career and technical education options in the future.”
And the change is not limited to CTE programs, added Shaver. While students must still take a Regents exam in math, English, science, and global history or U.S. history, there’s a good deal of flexibility for their fifth exam, so long as it meets the same rigorous criteria as other Regents exams.
“Students in school districts that are fortunate enough to have certain AP programs, performing arts or advanced programs for foreign languages will be able to take their fifth regents exam in those areas,” said Shaver. “Right now, there’s a list of 13 approved exams that the State Education Department has determined are comprehensively rigorous, and we anticipate there will be more to come.”
Advocates of the Pathways initiative say flexibility to pursue more desirable options keeps students motivated to stay in school and gain the skills to succeed in post-secondary education and various careers.
According to the New York State Educational Conference Board, there’s a need in today’s job market for specific skillsets that go beyond an entry-level job. A statement from the board in support of the Pathways initiative says, “CTE pathways can address the needs of the fastest growing industries in the state and nations, including those in the healthcare, renewable energy and STEM fields, thus helping to close a significant skills gap by providing rigorous, industry-aligned instruction and experiences.”
Many institutions have already taken steps to implement the Pathways model, said Shaver. The Board of Regents is likely to schedule a public comment period, but the initiative could be employed statewide as early as June.
Said Shaver, “We’re at a place now that so many people believe in order to be successful, you have to graduate from high school and get a bachelors degree. More and more, there’s a growing body of information that shows people can take multiple directions to be successful.”
A video highlighting advantages of the Multiple Pathways initiative can be found on the New York State Department of Education website at nysed.gov.
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