NY Regents exams, Sinead O'Connor, Saquon Barkley, and UFOs

Regents exam move is doing much harm

The editorial board’s “ ‘Do No Harm’ fails the test” [Opinion, July 26] is spot on.

During my 34 years of teaching public high school, I not only taught a lesson or two, I learned that a capable student making insufficient effort and receiving a failing grade does nobody any harm. This is especially true of the state Regents exams, which are designed to demonstrate mastery in a designated subject.

Truly, an unsatisfactory result would be normal following poor preparation and should benefit the student by teaching the valuable lesson that irresponsible behavioral choices result in correspondingly poor consequences.

The problem with the “Do No Harm” proposal goes much deeper than an administrative decision allowing “the same score on a Regents exam [to] matter to one student’s grade but not to another’s.”

For decades now, school administrators have allowed pressure from parents and students to erode many academic initiatives and remove grit from scholarship. The pedagogical doctrine is no longer Do No Harm; now, teachers must contend with Everyone Should Feel Good.

Now even good school districts — those sending most graduates to four-year colleges — must face the awful truth: Fewer students are equipped to complete their four-year college educations successfully.

— Jim Incorvaia, Plainview

I was appalled to read that some Long Island schools have decided to only count Regents scores if students do well [“New way to view Regents scores,” News, July 24].

I am a parent and former math teacher from Francis Lewis High School and Queensborough Community College. Students will not bother with an exam that doesn’t affect grades, especially as the weather warms and the school year ends.

Why even give an exam that is meaningless? Standards have already been lowered beyond belief. No reason to keep the farce going.

— Linda Silverman, Queens Village

It’s no surprise there will be a shortage of skilled Americans needed to work in semiconductor manufacturing plants [“Chip worker shortfall,” LI Business, July 26]. The sad truth is that our public schools’ test scores have been deteriorating for years.

By their own admission, colleges are no longer basing admissions criteria on test scores. Why? We spend the most of all industrialized nations yet rank low in various surveys. Take the politics out of this. Public education is failing our children. Period.

— Anthony Bordano, Middle Village

Vindicated O’Connor was ahead of her time

I’m saddened by the too-young passing of Sinead O’Connor — she of the angelic voice and fearless convictions — who infamously derailed her career by ripping a picture of Pope John Paul II on “Saturday Night Live” in 1992, deeply offending Americans who were not yet aware of (or in denial about) the widespread sexual abuse of children perpetrated (and protected) by the Catholic Church [“Talented, outspoken singer,” News, July 27].

O’Connor was aware. Reports about the church’s scandals had already surfaced in Ireland. She was ahead of her time and, all these years later, has been vindicated, if never apologized to. Talk about (shamefully) shooting the messenger.

If there is a God, He knew what she was trying to do with that incredible voice He gave her.

— Janine Kachadourian, Bethpage

So, how do we value a person’s worth?

So the Giants finally came to terms with a one-year contract for Saquon Barkley after, like most NFL teams, his position as a running back had been devalued [“Saquon takes one for the team,” Sports, July 26].

When did the title of a position decide a person’s worth? We have top sports athletes, medical professionals, Wall Street moneymakers, etc., who might get arrested for illegal weapons possession, using illegal enhancement drugs and such. Do these people merit being paid the top salaries in their fields?

Now, consider Barkley, the epitome of a professional. Since he entered the NFL, he has done nothing but act like the best pro. That’s apparent just from his teammates continually voting him a team captain. We never read about undesirable off-the-field issues, and he helps his community.

Barkley could be on a poster in every football locker room on how to conduct oneself. His worth should not have been determined solely as a “running back.” It should have included his value as a good man on this team. The Giants’ management should have done better by him in the first place.

— Victor Patalano, Levittown

LI voting districts are really otherworldly

If and when superintelligent aliens land on earth, they will easily figure out our many languages, our complex math and science problems, and the nuances of our social systems and issues [“Whistleblower: U.S. Program captures UFOs,” Nation, July 27].

What will leave them scratching their heads in wonderment?

The zig-zag boundary lines of our voting districts [“Nassau Dems, voters sue to overturn legislature map,” News, July 27].

— Howie Weinick, Woodmere