Students perform well on Regents examinations

Amsterdam High School students got some of the best results ever as a group on the English and math Regents examinations.

The tests were offered in January, and 93 percent of students who took the English 11 examination passed the test, while 92 percent of students who took the Math A examination passed that test, according to Principal Gavin Murdoch.

To earn a high school diploma in New York State, students must pass five Regents examinations: Math A, Global History and Geography, 11th-grade U.S. History and Government, English Language Arts, and one science examination.

Murdoch credited the students' success to the district’s enhanced efforts to help students improve their scores. For example:

The school created after-school tutoring programs this year to get extra help to students in need. Teachers have gone out of their way to encourage and refer students to these programs.

The school now offers the English examination in January and June, instead of in June only. This helps lighten workloads both for students and faculty, offering a better chance of success on the test.

Another reason for the success is that teachers have become more familiar with the tests, Murdoch said. This means they are able to focus lessons around concepts and questions that students are likely to see on the tests.

The scores shows that the school district is improving academically, Murdoch said. Although there is room for improvement, the message the community should take from this is that administrators, faculty and staff are doing everything they can to help students succeed.

“The test results are the standard by which the school district is judged, and we are proving that our students can succeed and be prepared for the future,” he said.