The New York State Board of Regents (state Board of Education) has adopted more stringent graduation requirements and checks of student progress. The State Education Department is currently developing "Learning Standards for Math, Science, and Technology." These will form the basis for assessments of student progress given in grades 4 and 8, and for high school-level "Regents examinations." To graduate from a New York public high school, all students must pass a minimum of three years of "Regents-level" science courses and at least one Regents exam. Because of the long history of standards-based testing in New York State, many other states are observing how New York develops and implements these new programs and tests as models for how they may meet the National Science Education Standards.
The developing science standards are grouped around themes from the "Physical Environment" and the "Living Environment." Weather and ocean topics form important components in the "Physical Environment" standards, and can also apply to parts of the "Living Environment." Educators will be called on to include more atmospheric and marine science studies in their courses. As Regents science courses require written reports on a minimum of 30 hours of laboratory investigations, schools will need to expand facilities and develop more effective activities. This may require expanded pre- and in-service training programs along the lines of the AMS Project Atmosphere, Maury Project, and DataStreme.
Examples of the kinds of assessments that will be used to measure student progress will be presented, including a description of how teachers are being included in developing Standards-based questions. Implementation plans also include close cooperation with businesses through integrated "School-to-Work" initiatives.
The New York State experience can provide valuable information for other educational agencies seeking to improve science/math/ technology instruction.