⚓ Welcome to Tidal Echoes

Series: “Youth Speaks Its Mind” (A republication of our hometown newspaper, The Suffolk County News, from 65 years ago)

Our history isn't just a timeline; it's a series of waves that shape who we are today. In this series, we revisit the bold voices of Sayville’s past. Today, we listen to David Beebe as he challenges the "regimentation" of the New York State Regents examinations in 1962.

Originally published in The Suffolk County News on January 18th, 1962. Transcribed for the Sayville Alumni Association.

A Program of Education Instead of Regimentation

By David Beebe, Sayville High School

It is too bad, with all the money being spent on visual aid equipment and other new teaching methods in our schools, that teachers and students should be deprived of time to use these aids by an antiquated testing system. I am referring to the Regents exam program employed by our State Education Department. Here are some of the reasons why I think this system should be eliminated or at least limited:

1. Students do not usually need the Regents marks in college reports. It is argued that these tests provide a basis for judgment in both state and out-of-state colleges. It is readily obvious to both students and teachers that this statement is false. College-bound students take the nationally recognized College Board tests and many non-college students do not take Regents courses. In any case the College Boards could take the place of Regents.

2. Approximately one-sixth of the school year in which Regents are given is spent in review for the Regents. This month and a half could be very profitably spent in covering new material.

3. By demanding knowledge in a few restricted fields, teachers have a more limited choice of teaching their subject in the way that most suits their personality and teaching beliefs. These limitations tend to make the teacher a machine for merely dispensing information instead of a personality who may bring about the realization of the inter-relation of this information.

4. A Regents exam might not reflect the true learning of an individual. Various influences such as nervousness or ill health could very well mean the differences between passing or failing a whole years work. Also the fact that the Regents have evolved to the mere answering of isolated questions, instead of the previous form of mostly essay questions, might tend to place too much emphasis on facts instead of real knowledge of a subject.

5. The most common argument in favor of Regents is that they provide a standard level of education throughout the state. I am sure that nearly every school in our area is above or at least equal to the state “standard.” Still we must bear our yearly burden to maintain standards in some more rural areas. A better solution to this problem would be to increase both the number and qualifications of teachers. This would insure that teachers would be able to cover their subject adequately. Under this system it might be advisable to provide a basis for study for both teachers and students such as the syllabus now in use.

I sincerely think that if the Regents system were eliminated or at least revised our schools could advance to a program of education instead of regimentation.

⚓ Cast Your Thoughts

How do these words from 1962 land today? Reflecting on David Beebe's insights:

• david argues that regents review takes up "one-sixth of the school year"—did you feel that same pressure of "teaching to the test" during your time at sayville?
• he suggests that teachers were becoming "machines for merely dispensing information"—do you remember a particular teacher who broke through that "regimentation" with their personality?
• sixty-five years later, the debate over standardized testing in new york is as heated as ever. does david's 1962 critique feel like it could have been written today?