All you need to know about The Regents Exam

History of the Regents Test

• Regents Policy was created in 1972 by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia.

• Required that each institution of the system ensure that students obtaining a degree possess certain minimum skills of reading and writing.

• The skills are referred to as the Regents’ Writing and Reading Skills.

What is it?– An exam EVERY student must

pass or exempt in order to obtain a bachelor’s degree in the state of Georgia.

– Two part test:1. Reading Comprehension2. Writing Skills

– 1 hour time limit for EACH part • (Plan for at least a 2 ½ hour exam)

When do I take it? • Entering freshman are expected to test their

FIRST semester.

• Students who have not attempted/and or passed the test by the end of their second semester will be required to enroll in RT skills classes. – In addition, any student scoring 50 or below on the

reading portion, even on 1st attempt, will be enrolled into the reading skills class the following semester.

• All students will test around 6-8 weeks with those in the RT skills classes not testing until approximately week 11.

ExemptionsStudents may exempt the Regents Test

under the following criteria:

Regents Reading

Exemption Criteria:

SAT Verbal 510

OR

ACT Reading 23

Regents Essay

Exemption Criteria:

SAT Writing 560 OR

AP Eng Lang & Comp Score of 3 OR

AP Eng Lit & Comp score of 3 OR

IB English score of 4

Reading Comprehension• 1 hour time limit• Multiple Choice test with 54 items • Consisting of nine reading passages with 5-8 questions

about each and 175 to 325 words in length. • Passages are from magazines (e.g. Newsweek), literary

work and other written material with topics drawn from a variety of subject areas (social science, mathematics and natural science, and humanities).

• Questions are designed to

assess 4 major parts of reading:1. Vocabulary

2. Literal Comprehension

3. Inferential Comprehension

4. Analysis

Reading TestScoring

• Score is calculated by only the number of right answers

• The score ranges from 1-99.• The minimum passing score is 61

which is approximately 70-72% of answers correct.

• Out of the 54 questions a student needs to answer correctly about 39 questions to pass.

Writing Skills• 1 hour time limit to write a complete essay• Student will be given a choice of topics and will

be able to choose the topic that will best fit their writing.

• Students must write in pen and can not use “white out” or “Liquid paper.”

• Organization is important, make sure to:– Have a Central idea directly related to topic– Develop points with evidence in a coherent, logical,

and non-repetitious way– Avoid frequent or serious errors in grammar,

mechanics, word choice and sentence structure.• Allow time at the end of writing to check your

paper and make changes.

Examples of Topics:• If your doctor told you that you had only a few months to

live, how would you alter your way of life? Discuss. • Each year, many teenagers run away from home. What

do you think are the chief causes? • Do you think that sports help develop good character?

Discuss. • Should the U.S. government subsidize our Olympic

teams? Why or why not? • Is there any job that you would absolutely refuse to take?

Explain. • If you were to be deprived of one of your five senses

(sight, touch, smell, taste, and hearing) which one would you most hate to give up? Explain.

• Discuss what you like or do not like about the South.

Reading TestScoring

• Each paper will be read and evaluated by three different readers. Neither the student identity or school will be known by the graders.

• Essays are rated on a 3 point scale.– “1” is failing and “2” or “3” are passing.

The “1”, “2”, “3” Scale • 3: The “3” essay shows distinction. It meets all and exceeds most of the

criteria for a “2.” The ideas are expressed freshly and vividly, and the essay arouses the reader’s interest to a greater extent that the typical “2” essay.

• 2: The “2” essay meets the basic criteria. It has a central idea related directly to the assigned topic and presented with sufficient clarity that the reader is aware of the writer’s purpose. The organization is clear enough for the reader to perceive the writer’s plan. The paragraphs coherently present some evidence or details to substantiate the points. The writer uses ordinary, everyday words accurately and idiomatically and generally avoids both the monotony created by series of choppy, simple sentences and the incoherence caused by long, tangled sentences. Although the essay may contain a few serious grammatical errors and several mechanical errors, they are not of sufficient severity or frequency to obscure the sense of what the writer is saying.

• 1: The “1” essay fails to demonstrate competence. It has any one of the following problems to an extraordinary degree or it has several to a limited degree: it lacks a central idea; it lacks a clear organizational plan; it does not develop its points or develops them in a repetitious, incoherent, or illogical way; it does not relate directly to the assigned topic; it contains several serious grammatical errors; it contains numerous mechanical errors; ordinary, everyday words are used inaccurately and unidiomatically; it contains a limited vocabulary so that the words chosen frequently do not serve the writer’s purpose; syntax is frequently rudimentary or tangled; or the essay is so brief that the rater cannot make an accurate judgment of the writer’s ability.

PRACTICE• Practice with the time limit!

• Be the grader, choose a topic from the list and practice writing the full essay!

• Practice taking an entire test with both parts!

• Make sure to remind your students to pick appropriate days and times for testing!– GOOD LUCK!!!!