Regents exams and college entry

The data that the state Education Department released measuring students' college readiness means absolutely nothing to me ["LI grads not ready," News, June 15]. As a parent of two, one currently attending and one graduated from a four-year university, I can tell you firsthand that the Regents and Advanced Regents designations meant absolutely nothing when the time came to apply to those institutions -- absolutely nothing.

Even our own state university system told them that they didn't care about Regents exams and only wanted to see their SAT and ACT scores. For my children, this was a dilemma. They were academically strong in certain areas, but not in others. Thus, when they took the SATs, they did poorly in those areas where they were not so strong, bringing their overall score down. Yet they passed the Regents exams in all these areas while in high school.

It's a shame that the Regents and SUNY do not work together in preparing our state's children for acceptance at their own universities and colleges.

Abolishing these tests would not only save the taxpayers money but would also allow teachers to teach the subject, rather than the test.

Stephen Vella, Ronkonkoma