News Item
NYSED to Reinstate the January 2012 Regents Exams thanks to private donations
Exams will be administered January 24-27
August 4, 2011
NY State Education Department Assistant Commissioner of Assessment Policy, Development and Administration David Abrams informed school superintendents across the region that the January 2012 Regents Exams will be restored thanks to a 1.5 million donation.
Below is an excerpt from his letter:
"Mayor Bloomberg and Chancellor
Walcott announced today that they secured $1.5 million in
private donations
to
reinstate the January 2012 Regents Exams. We are grateful for
this financial support that will provide many students the
opportunity to demonstrate their abilities in a variety of
subjects and allow many to graduate from High School. SED will
be accepting this funding and we will be restoring the January
2012 Regents Exams; the exams will be administered January 24-27
as per my *memo dated June 2010. We will provide additional
information in the near future.
As you know, the continuing structural imbalance in funding for the past several years led to the difficult decision to discontinue this testing period. The State Education Department is currently identifying nearly $4 million in cost containment measures to ensure the program remains in balance for the remainder of this year. A longer term solution for adequate funding remains a Department priority."
*CLICK HERE for the 2012 Regents Exam Schedule as noted in the memo from David Abrams.
January 2012 Regents Exam dates not on the printed version of the district calendar
Due to the timing of this announcement, the printed version of the district calendar does not include the January 2012 Regent Exam testing dates. They have been added to the January grid of the PDF version of the calendar posted on the district website. GO
As the testing dates draw nearer and more information becomes available, it will be posted on the Monticello High School homepage along with the Regents Exam schedule. GO
Press Release from NYC Mayor Bloomberg's Office
A press release titled, "Mayor Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Walcott announce that January Regents Exams will take place, thanks to private donor funding" was release by Mayor Bloomberg's Office on August 3, 2011. Below is an excerpt from that press release:
City’s Fundraising Efforts Resulted in $1.5 Million in Private Donations. January 2012 Exams Will Ensure That Thousands of Students Across New York State Can Graduate On Time, But Longer-Term Solution Still Needed.
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Dennis M. Walcott today announced that they have secured $1.5 million in private funding that will allow students across the state to take the New York State Education Department Regents Exams in January 2012. Previously, the New York State Education Department said that it would not offer the January exams for high school students beginning in 2012, after the Board of Regents voted to eliminate them due to budget cuts.
CLICK HERE to view a PDF of the complete press release. For more information from Mayor Bloomberg's office, please visit ww.nyc.gov.
Read more about this story in the following newspapers:
Private Donors, Including Mayor, Save January Regents (NY Times 8/3/11)
Bloomberg raises money for Regents tests (Albany Times Union 8/3/11)
Donations revive January Regents: NYC mayor raises $1.5M to cover state cuts (Times Herald-Record 8/4/11)