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Updated February 2005
                                                                                                         December 2004

Implementation of New Mathematics Regents Examination

In its November 2004 report to the Board of Regents, the Mathematics Standards Committee made a number of recommendations related to high school mathematics and graduation requirements, including: 

•     The Committee recommended standards for Math A to comply with the recommendation of the Independent Panel on Math A that it be a one-year course for the typical student.  The Panel further recommended that the Department develop and administer a new Mathematics Regents Examination that  “the typical student will take … after one year of high school mathematics.”
   

•     The Committee recommended that an additional Regents exam be created to test students at the end of the first half of Math B, for a total of three Mathematics Regents exams, given that the content covered by the Math B exam would now require two years to learn.
   

•     The Committee recommended that the new Math A exam be administered for the first time no earlier than June 2007, with the first administration of the new Math B exams occurring no earlier than June 2008.
   

•     The Committee recommended that the labels for high school mathematics be changed as follows: 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

•     From Math A to "Integrated Algebra"
•     From Math B to "Integrated Geometry" for the first half and "Integrated
     Algebra II and Trigonometry" for the second half.

We received public comment on these recommendations and the others in the Mathematics Standards Committee’s report through December 4, and no changes will take place until final action by the Board of Regents, with the discussion of PreK-8 standards expected in January 2005 and high school standards expected in March 2005.   The Department will develop a timeline for the new exams that is in keeping with the Committee’s recommendations and final Regents action.  At this point it is clear that, given the multi-year examination development process, the new mathematics Regents exam will not be administered by June 2006.   As we continue our review of this issue, we will keep you informed.