An interveiw with Ms. Mish was conducted by Lily Shahein to question the "why" behind regents week. 

Mish: "When you apply to college going against schools that are very competitive including select highschools, those students are performing at much higher levels so when we loked at students in Sophmore year we were really hoping for higher scores overall.."

Lily: What about students with higher scores?

Mish: "Overall, we wanna see students exceed mastery. In ELA mastery is above a 90 on your regents so that makes you look more competitive. DO you need a 90 no, but the reason alot of students have had exemption passess was because of Covid meaning they had a 50-64%, so that gets them the credit for graduation but dosent necessarily look competitive on a college applications.. in ELA and Math specifically you need to have a college readiness score, so in ELA its above a 75, so if you don't get above a 75, SUNY and CUNY schools make you take remedial courses that don’t even count towards your graduation credits; yet you still have to take them before you take actual college courses; and you have to pay extra money so it sets you back in starting your semester.."

Lily: What about Seniors who have exemption passes due to COVID?

Mish: "For Seniors since you are competing against other Seniors that are in the same boat its not necessarily the case, because all Seniors are in the same exact boat..Juniors and Sophomores, some have exemption passess some dont, so we have to get on an even playing field..."

Lily: What is your take on the scheduling conflicts during regents week?

Mish: "MESA dosent make their own schedule, the state makes the schedule, so the state says you have to have a subject this day at this time..."

Lily: Why is there overlapping tests?

Mish: "For Seniors who need previous year regents, they probably need a plus one, if its a plus one you have to fulfill any regents to get  that plus one requirement...If its a core class  and you need to fulfill algebra your going to have to get that requirement"

Lily: How were the results from January’s regents?

Mish: "Definitely improved, ELA improved alot and showed that fundamentally 10th -11th grade is learning alot more and did really well. Um some of the other scores were okay. Math was ehhhh students weren’t in the full year course, like there  were two kids who had already taken Algebra and they are still in the Algebra course, but they need it for graduation so let's do it and see of they pass it in January..."

Lily: How do the June Regents compare?

Mish: "June is always a better bet, because you have better time to prep and be in the course"

Lily: Realistically, do you think students will take that time to prep?

Mish: "If the seniors really want it. January for Seniors, they think 'I still have so much time' (And then in June) The fire is here and they are now thinkng 'if I dont pass this class I won't graduate...'"

Lily: All in all, what is your overall stance on the regents?

Mish: "I know it is a requirement for graduation, but the regents dont define you, they are important but, they are not the end all be all - your academic success over 4 years is much more important, don't be discouraged by your scores, try you hardest, and just remember it's 4 years over versus one exam..."

By Marco Osorio

           In the midst of the news of the regents, the vast majority of those who took them became frantic as they approached, many of them even became more stressed having to deal with both classes and the test. The aftermath led to a sigh of relief to most, yet, did they feel satisfied with their results? A junior who took the regents stated “My performance for me was not my best, I do feel as though I could've performed better…” a sophomore was also asked about their performance, said “ I believe I performed well on it…” So with a mix of opinions about their scores, the regents wasn't as much of a disaster as they thought it would be, but feelings of underperformance still lingers. 

They were also asked if the regents were a sufficient bench mark for graduation, both in similar agreement of regents being “ a good standard or requirement for each student” to show that they were “able to learn and perform the minimum that is required,” while also to see if the “student is able to perform better under pressure.” A surprising approval of the regents despite the pressure given before they took the test. 

We then asked if they were to change the way the regents were handled or entirely, One claimed that they were  “fine with the way the test is handled and executed,” while the other thought differently, stating that the regents be done via “a website where we click the answer choice instead of bubbling it in.” Making the regents online rather than done in paper could potentially be a possibility in the future, perhaps it could even reduce the amount of time the regents takes, as many “ would complain about sitting in a room for three hours.” But until then, the regents will continue to be on paper, and perhaps still scare many students as the next round of regents soon approaches.

• Study Daily - Taking the time to gain new study habits lead to better memorization of the topic you have to study for.  Such as finding a good place to study that minimizes distractions and leads to concentrating in working better.

• Practice Exams and Worksheets- Consider finishing any class work related to the topic you should study for and complete the worksheet as a practice to the unit or subject. Most importantly, it is highly recommended to complete past regents exams as a practice.

• Asking for Help- Talk to your teachers or friends who truly know or are skilled in the subject that you are studying for. As once stated, “Asking for help isnt giving up. Its refusing to give up.” - Charlie Mackesy

• Go to office hours- Office hour schedules are accessible to anyone, you can simply ask your advisor for a copy and itll be gladly given to you. Plan ahead a schedule for a week in which you delicate yourself to at least attending office hours that you need the most. 

• Use Friends as a Tutor - If you know that one friend that contains more knowledge towards a subject you need help in, reach out to them and explain how big of a help it would be to have them go over notes, its friends do. 

• Take Clear Notes - There are multiple ways to take notes, finding out which one helps you memorize and learn information most can help it become easier for you concentrate on the subject.

•  Eat a well deserved dinner before hand and a well deserved breakfast in the morning.

•  The night before, make sure you receive enough rest in order for better concentration, preferably going to sleep before 10 pm.

•  The night before going to sleep, feed yourself with faith and confidence for the next day. 

• Use a calendar, preferably on your phone to write down reminders for studying.

• Write down reminders and keep them in a visible place, so that you'll always see it.

• Create a notebook dedicated only to reminders in which you always take time to review and remind yourself what is coming next.

• When taking the exam, keep in mind to use methods such as the following:

• Elimination of answers 

• Common sense

• Use given data 

• Looking back at past answers that relate to the given question

• Skipping questions and coming back to them 

• If none work, guess 

P.S: Don't overthink