NEW YORK – The Direct Archdiocesan District Office of Education is pleased to announce that the recent decision of the Board of Regents of the New York State Education Department to eliminate in 2010 the Regents Comprehensive Examinations in German, Hebrew, and Latin (Italian in 2011), in an effort to reduce its deficit, will not affect the development of the Comprehensive Examination in Modern Greek by the Archdiocesan District Office of Education. The Archdiocese will continue developing the Examination as it has done for many years.
Furthermore, the State Education Department will soon start discussions with the Board of Regents “to amend the Regulations (100.5(b)(7) pertaining to foreign language studies and thus allow students to meet the assessment requirement in the languages for which no Regents comprehensive assessment exists by passing a locally developed examination aligned to the Checkpoint B learning standards for LOTE.” This step will enable students to earn a Regents diploma with advanced designation.
The Comprehensive Examination in Modern Greek has always been “a locally prepared foreign language examination” aligned to the Checkpoint B learning standards for LOTE. Although not a New York State exam, it is considered for Regents credits in foreign language studies for qualified students of public and nonpublic schools. It is widely accepted by the public school principals in the State of New York and elsewhere in the country and has benefited thousands of students since 1973.
It should be noted that the director of the Nonpublic Schools Office/State Education Department as well as a representative of the Board of Jewish Education contacted Mrs. Maria Makedon, director of the Direct Archdiocesan Office of Education, to inquire about the procedures followed by her Office for the creation of the Comprehensive Examination in Modern Greek in order to replicate for the Hebrew examination.
For updates to the regulations after the Board of Regents discussion and action, please visit: [email protected].
For information on the Comprehensive Examination in Modern Greek, please visit the website of the Direct Archdiocesan Office of Education www.education.goarch.org.
