Schools boosted Regents by 5–30% last year. Here’s how to begin now..
Making teaching and leading easier, one insight at a time.
Read time 3-4 minutes.
We are thrilled to share results from our deep partnership with schools last year: 90% saw a 5–30% increase in one or more Regents exams across four districts. These gains spanned English, Global Studies, U.S. History, Biology, Earth and Space Science, and Algebra 1.
If you’d like, we can provide the full list of schools and results—because we don’t just talk about impact, we’ve got the receipts.
Let’s be clear: success on state exams is not the end-all, be-all, nor the only way to measure mastery. But the demands of these exams can serve as an excellent foundation for building literacy and critical thinking skills.
Below are five proven ways to ensure an increase this school year—plus questions you can ask your instructional leaders and teachers.
#1: Start with the end in mind.
We help schools identify the core tasks students should master independently by the end of each quarter. Instead of waiting until “test prep season,” we embed the reading, writing, and critical thinking demands of exams into curriculum and lesson design from day one.
Ask: What should students be able to do independently by the end of each quarter—and how does it build toward the final hurrah?
#2: Be honest about the curriculum’s limits.
Fidelity to a curriculum does not guarantee exam success—just like reading a lot won’t prepare you to ace the MCAT or LSAT. Only practicing the race you’ll run prepares you to win it. Curriculum fidelity is important, but thoughtful supplementation is also essential.
Ask: What doesn’t our curriculum do that we need to address in other ways?
#3: Develop content-specific learning strategies.
School-wide approaches to literacy are essential, but students also need content-specific strategies. For example, how should a student tackle Part II of the Algebra exam? Or how should a student annotate a science diagram on the Biology exam? A generic reading approach will only take students so far. Our content-literacy methods provide students with the tools to navigate these unique demands—and schools that have used them have seen steady gains.
Ask: What content-specific strategies do students need to show mastery on key tasks?
#4: Build a data + feedback system.
Clear benchmark assessments only matter if paired with timely, actionable feedback. We help schools design systems where data informs instruction, ensuring no student slips through the cracks.
Ask: What is our assessment—and more importantly, our feedback—plan for this year?
#5: Start.
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