Overview
In 2014 the New York State Board of Regents adopted the New York State K – 12 Social Studies Framework, which replaces the 1998 Social Studies Resource Guide with Core Curriculum. The State Education Department (SED) released guidance and support documents for the Framework; the Field Guide and the NYS K – 12 Social Studies Toolkit. The Toolkit was created by NYS teachers for NYS teachers and is aligned with the National Council for the Social Studies’ C3 Framework.
Along with adopting the Framework, the Regents also amended Commissioner’s Regulations Part 100.2 and 100.5 by establishing a two-unit sequence in Global History and Geography that is required for a Regents Diploma.
The Global History and Geography Regents Examination is being changed. The transition exam will move from testing two years of Global History and Geography to testing material presented in Grade 10 only (approximately 1750 – present). The new Regents Examination in Global History and Geography II will be based on the Framework.
This Fact Sheet outlines the changes to the Global History and Geography II Regents Examination.
Too Important to Rush
Remembering the rushed and poorly implemented ELA and Math Common Core Standards and assessments, the SED is taking a measured pace rolling out the implementation of the Framework and the redesigned Global History and Geography II Regents Examination (and United States History and Government Regents Examination.) The State wants to have a thoughtful approach that will incorporate the best thinking of educators from across the state. The new Regents Exams must be fair and must accurately measure the knowledge and skills of students.
The Transition and Overlap
The Board of Regents approved a transition plan for the 2017 – 2018 school year which should smooth the path from the Regents exam created in 2000 to the administration of the new format. This will give educators more time to fully implement the Framework and will allow SED to develop and refine the Global History and Geography II Regents Examination.
Transition
- January 2018 – last administration of the current assessment format based on the two-year course.
- June 2018 – January 2019 – current assessment format, but testing only Grade 10 content (approximately 1750 – present)
Overlap
- June 2019 – June 2020 – Two options will be available at district discretion
- Transition year Regents Examination – OR –
- New Global History and Geography II Regents
Post-Transition
- August 2020 – onward – Global History and Geography II Regents exam
What the Transition Regents Examination in Global History and Geography (Grade 10) Will Look Like
The transition Global History and Geography Regents Examination (Grade 10) will be based upon the 1996 Social Studies Standards and the 1998 Social Studies Resource Guide with Core Curriculum. The transition Regents exam will cover only one year of study, grade 10 in Global History and Geography, pulling the content from Units 5 – 8 from the Social Studies Resource Guide and Core Curriculum. It will assess human and physical geography, skills, themes, and topics.
The format of the exam will be similar to the current exam, however, the number of multiple choice questions will decrease from 50 to 30. The Regents will contain:
- Thirty multiple choice questions – weighted so as to account for approximately 55 per cent of the student’s final test score, similar to the 50 multiple choice questions on the current Global History and Geography Regents Examination (Grades 9 and 10).
- One thematic essay
- One Document Based Questions (one essay question based on documents and a student’s knowledge of social studies content)
The Transition Regents Exam in Global History and Geography (Grade 10) will be first administered in June 2018 with the last administration being June 2020. Seven total transition examinations will be administered.
Social Studies Framework Global History and Geography II Regents Examination
The development of the new Global History and Geography II Regents Examination was a collaborative effort by SED’s Office of State Assessments with the NYS Social Studies Content Advisory Panel (CAP) and the field. Several surveys were conducted by SED to solicit comments from practitioners on the format and prototype questions of the Global History and Geography II Regents Exam. The exam uses an Evidence-Centered Design model for constructing the assessment. This model allows for comparability across test forms and is a way to focus the tests on the skills and content that students should know. The CAP worked with SED to develop the following:
- Claims – clear statements about what students should be able to do at the end of a course;
- Evidence – what students need to do or say or produce to support the acquisition of a claim;
- Performance Level Descriptors – what it means to get a 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 on the exam; and
- Task models – the structures or shells for collecting evidence for the claim; the construct of the questions.
All questions on the Framework-based Global History and Geography II Regents exam will be connected to a document. How documents will be formatted:
- Some documents, where appropriate, will have contextual or background information provided above the document
- The Source line or citation will appear beneath the document.
The first administration of the Framework-based Regents Examination in Global History and Geography II will be in June 2019. Both the transition Regents Examination in Global History and Geography (Grade 10) and the Framework based Regents Examination in Global History and Geography II will be posted on the SED website shortly after administration.
Advice to Local Leaders
- Work with the district professional development team to ensure that training is provided on the K – 12 New York State Social Studies Framework. The Framework should have been implemented during the 2015 – 2016 school year.
- Work with the district professional development team to ensure that training is provided on the Framework Exam in Global History and Geography. The format differs from the current exam and has new elements. Teachers of Global History and Geography should have targeted professional development on the enduring issues extended essay portion of the exam.
Source: NYSED Global History and Geography Board of Regents document and documents from the NYSED Office of State Assessments.http://www.p12.nysed.gov/assessment/ss/hs/ghg-faqtransitiontimeline.pdf
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