Why are Regents exams so expensive to give?
Students take a Regents exam at school in 2008. Credit: J. Conrad Williams Jr.
Regarding the elimination of some Regents exams, everyone seems to be skipping over the big question: Why does it cost $8 million to administer three foreign language tests ["Foreign languages vital," Letters, June 1]?
These tests have been around for many years. There are numerous old test questions that can easily be reshuffled to create a new test, emailed to the schools, printed out, taken and graded by the teachers. None of this needs to cost $8 million!
Do all of our Regents tests cost so much? I believe the Regents system is a very good one, and I think we should keep it, but who is overseeing this expense? I suspect that the other tests cost a comparable amount, and there is no need for it. Let's keep the tests but revamp the formulation and delivery.
Regents tests have kept our school system good, but these costs are not necessary and have gotten out of hand. None of this should cost in the millions. Let's put common sense and practicality back into our education system.
Maria Shields, East Northport
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