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Click here to find the comments for this topic
from 2004: ($)
how to ace Regents Math A
Saxon Algebra 1 That's it. That's the answer. Saxon Algebra 1. Every lesson, every problem. Correct your wrong answers; take the tests. I took the 2006 Regents Math A exam at the end of October, and I passed with distinction. The test had 39 problems altogether:
I missed 4 items, all of them 2-point multiple choice items. Raw score: 76 points out of a possible 84
Scaled score: 94 out of 100
Items missed:
So: 3 incorrect answers concerning material I'd never seen before. 1 incorrect answer due to dumb computation error. This is where Saxon Algebra 1 gets you. I can't wait to take a sample SAT test.
On the 2006 test the cut-off for passing is a raw score of 34, scaled score 65. Cut-off for passing with distinction is a raw score of 65, scaled score 85. If you got only the 2-pointers correct, you could pass the test by getting 17 out of 39 items correct. I figure you could pass with as few as 14 out of 39 correct answers if you got full-credit for both 4-point questions and both 3-point questions (14 points), then got another 10 two-pointers right (20 points). Unless I've made another dumb computation error.
Saxon: an alternate view
For some reason, I find this comforting. Another parent blowing it. Another parent thinking she's got a plan when it's crystal clear to any rational person the plan isn't working, then obstinately continuing to think she's got a plan while things get worse. Mule-headedness in parenting! A good thing, as Martha Stewart used to say. Well, muleheadedness in parenting often is a good thing, except when it leads to crying and yelling. Crying, yelling, and recriminations. Been there! Done that! But not, thank God, with Saxon Algebra 1 & 2.
Totally agree on the solution manual, though.
Regents Math A August 2006 (pdf file)
Regents Math A scoring key (pdf file)
2006 Regents Exams
archived Regents exams
Stanley Ocken to: Members of the Board of Education and other Interested Parties
regentsmatha
-- CatherineJohnson - 28 Nov 2006 Back to: Main Page.
from 2004: ($)
To the Editor: According to ''City High School Students Lag in Regents Test Scores'' (news article, Dec. 17), ''Some fear that raising the passing score'' on Regents exams from 55 to 65 ''could take a particularly harsh toll on city students.'' A representative of a coalition of civic organizations says, ''It's just cruel.'' Passing scores of 55 and 65 for the Math A Regents Exam are scaled scores that correspond to raw scores of 33 percent and 44 percent, respectively. In comparison, random guessing on the exam's multiple-choice component yields an expected raw score of 15 percent. Under the current standard, a student who answers two-thirds of the questions incorrectly will pass. Under the proposed higher standard, a student who answers more than half of the questions incorrectly can still pass. In either case, students achieving the minimum passing score are unprepared for the Regents Math B course and most certainly lack the basic algebra skills needed for college-level mathematics. That seems cruel to me. Stanley Ocken (scroll up, too)
New York, Dec. 19, 2004
The writer is a professor of mathematics, City College, CUNY.
how to ace Regents Math A
Saxon Algebra 1 That's it. That's the answer. Saxon Algebra 1. Every lesson, every problem. Correct your wrong answers; take the tests. I took the 2006 Regents Math A exam at the end of October, and I passed with distinction. The test had 39 problems altogether:
- Part I: 30 multiple choice questions; worth 2 points apiece
- Part II: 5 short answer questions; worth 2 points apiece
- Part III: 2 short answer questions; worth 3 points apiece
- Part IV 2 short answer questions; worth 4 points apiece
I missed 4 items, all of them 2-point multiple choice items. Raw score: 76 points out of a possible 84
Scaled score: 94 out of 100
Items missed:
- determine the equation of a perpendicular line - had never seen this problem before, didn't know how to do it. 2 weeks later Saxon Algebra 2 covered the material. So now I know.
- 2 problems on probability & factorials - no idea how to do either one
- 1 problem on graphing the equation of a linear equation, something I can (and frequently do) do in my sleep
So: 3 incorrect answers concerning material I'd never seen before. 1 incorrect answer due to dumb computation error. This is where Saxon Algebra 1 gets you. I can't wait to take a sample SAT test.
On the 2006 test the cut-off for passing is a raw score of 34, scaled score 65. Cut-off for passing with distinction is a raw score of 65, scaled score 85. If you got only the 2-pointers correct, you could pass the test by getting 17 out of 39 items correct. I figure you could pass with as few as 14 out of 39 correct answers if you got full-credit for both 4-point questions and both 3-point questions (14 points), then got another 10 two-pointers right (20 points). Unless I've made another dumb computation error.
Saxon: an alternate view
I hate Saxon Math right now! We have used Algebra 1 and 2 for two years, and it has been non-stop frustration. Why didn’t someone warn me that this would consume our lives? Why didn’t I pray more about this before taking the big step? Why wasn’t I smart enough to figure out after the first year that this wasn’t going to work?
For some reason, I find this comforting. Another parent blowing it. Another parent thinking she's got a plan when it's crystal clear to any rational person the plan isn't working, then obstinately continuing to think she's got a plan while things get worse. Mule-headedness in parenting! A good thing, as Martha Stewart used to say. Well, muleheadedness in parenting often is a good thing, except when it leads to crying and yelling. Crying, yelling, and recriminations. Been there! Done that! But not, thank God, with Saxon Algebra 1 & 2.
Totally agree on the solution manual, though.
Regents Math A August 2006 (pdf file)
Regents Math A scoring key (pdf file)
2006 Regents Exams
archived Regents exams
Stanley Ocken to: Members of the Board of Education and other Interested Parties
regentsmatha
-- CatherineJohnson - 28 Nov 2006 Back to: Main Page.