November 17, 2003 | By Beth Quinn | Times Herald-Record

The rebellion begins today.

All that is needed is a leader. Read on. Perhaps you are that person.

I'm talking here about the mess that's called the Regents. It's become a classic case of "If it ain't broke, mess with it until it is." New York's Education Commissioner Richard Mills has done just that. He has taken a fine institution and ruined it. He's also ruined some kids' lives in the process. He has to be stopped.

Here's why.

Once upon a time, back before Mills started screwing with the Regents, the statewide tests led to a special diploma. All kids could get a school diploma, but if they were on the smart side and willing to work extra hard to pass all the Regents tests, they could earn a Regents diploma, too. It was a feather in the cap.

Then Mills decided to raise standards for all students. Nothing wrong with that. It's a good goal. But he picked the wrong instrument for doing so. He decided that he would require all students to pass Regents tests. Those who don't pass them don't graduate. Bad, bad idea. Because the reality is, all students will never be able to pass the Regents. There is no magic wand in Albany that will make everyone equal in the brains department. But Mills decided that, on his say-so, teachers would be able to make everyone smart. Well, of course it hasn't worked. Even Mills must realize that. For starters, he had to lower the passing grade to 55 from 65 to make it easier to pass. How this raises standards, I can't imagine, but so be it.

Teachers, who knew from the start that this was sheer lunacy, began teaching to the tests. They've had to forget about providing an actual education because too much is riding on the Regents.

Everyone follows the new rules, asinine as they are. But sometimes the test writers in Albany forget what's supposed to be on the test. Sometimes they include questions that aren't in the curriculum. The teachers were as surprised as the kids when they saw the June Math A test, which was such a mess that two-thirds of kids statewide failed. The June physics test was so flawed that half failed.

The end result could be charted on a Fiasco Index.

A Regents diploma has been rendered meaningless for the smart kids because it's no longer special. The tests have even served as an impediment to graduation for straight-A students when something like the physics mess occurs.

For the kids who aren't so smart, this kind of high-stakes testing hasn't raised standards. It's lowered them by making a high-school diploma so unobtainable for some that the drop-out rate in New York City rose to 20.3 percent in 2002 from 17.5 percent in 1999.

But here's the number that should make local parents quake. Based on the state Education Department's own data, 24.7 percent of students in the Class of 2004 won't graduate in June because they'll be failing at least one of the five required Regents tests. That number is based on a sampling of school districts from around the state.

In the words of an SAT analogy, Richard Mills is to education as John Ashcroft is to civil liberties.

That's why it's time for the rebellion. And a group has already started dumping tea into the Hudson River near Albany.

Called Time Out From Testing, it is a statewide coalition of parents, educators, businesses and civil rights organizations that is demanding a "time out" from the Regents. They want a comprehensive review of the value and impact of Mills' take-no-prisoners approach. They want a statewide consensus on what a truly valid and reliable assessment system might be.

These people know what they're talking about.

If you are a parent, join Time Out From Testing. If you are a teacher, join. If you are a leader, organize your own district's parent-teacher group for a petition drive. If you are brave, don't let your kid take one more Regents exam until this group's goals are met.

For a copy of Time Out's petition, go to www.timeoutfromtesting.org or call 917-679-8343.
And let me know what you're doing. I'll keep the spotlight on your efforts, I promise.

Beth Quinn is a Record columnist who is also a certified high school English teacher. She is an adjunct assistant professor of English at SUNY Orange. Talk to her at 341-1100, Ext. 6305 or at bquinn@th-record.com.