Testing, testing, 1..2..3, it’s that time of year again. Mock Regents are happening as students prepare to take the real Regents. As New York City implements a new format for some tests, teachers and students are adjusting to the changes and preparing for what’s to come.
Normally, most students at Bronx River take the mock Regents to get ready for the real Regents in June. In order to help students achieve a confident mindset, teachers have been giving them Regents questions to get them used to the Regents style format.
Anna Maria Jack, the Earth Science teacher, reviews Regents questions with her class every Friday by giving her students a review sheet. She believes that it’s necessary to “make sure they are exposed to Regents’ questions.”
She says that mock Regents help the students understand time management and get them used to testing without a teacher’s assistance. In addition, Ms. Jack thinks having mock Regents on a weekend will benefit students more since they will have the amount of time needed to complete the test.
Ryleigh Curry, a freshman, believes the mock Regents are not beneficial. “They don’t help for my real Regents,” she said. “They are a waste of time.”
She is taking the biology and algebra mock Regents this year. In order to prepare herself, she reviews sources provided by her teachers and uses the internet when it comes to confusing topics.
Ryleigh claims her teachers do not help prepare her for the Regents. “The given material isn’t on the test,” she said. She thinks students should get a month’s worth of warning before taking any test. Despite her negative views on the mock Regents, she thinks they can be improved with more bathroom privileges, little snack breaks and leaving as soon as you are finished.
Charley Ruperto, a biology and Earth Science teacher, embeds Regents questions into every lesson he teaches. He believes the mock Regents expose students to the reality of the real Regents. His way of preparing his students for the mock test is alerting them about the test format and reassuring them about the material. In class, he goes over mock questions to refresh his students memory and reawaken their test taking skills. Mr. Ruperto says that the mock Regents are helpful because it’s a way of “actually knowing what the Regents will look like.”
Sophomore Angelina Cuevas takes the geometry, English, and global history 10 mock Regents this year. Angelina prepares herself for the mock Regents by attending math tutoring sessions.
“If I feel like I’m really going to fail, I study,” she said.
