Regents 2008 Board Report
"Only 75%of students at four-year colleges graduate within six years. The numbers are far worse at community colleges. The Regents and New York's higher education community are committed to improving student performance in college."
Regent Milton L. Cofield
Co-Chair, HigherEducation Committee
"The Regents oversee teacher certification requirements; establish standards; protect students' educational and financial interests; and oversee grants that provide access to higher education for students in need."
Regent Arnold B. Gardner
Regents 2008 Board Report: Higher Education
Supporting Student Success in High Quality Higher Education
To prepare more students for college, the first thing we must do is to improve the instruction they receive in middle and high school. This is the base on which success is built. The Regents took an important step by adopting new mathematics standards for high schools in 2005. The comprehensive standards review now underway will go even further in preparing students for the rigors of higher education.
Here are some of the State's 2008 higher education accomplishments:
- College graduation rates have improved for students enrolled in Bachelor's Degree programs. In 2004, the percentage of students who received a Bachelor's Degree in 6 years was 70.3%; in 2007 that number increased to 75.3%.
- To protect students and ensure effective use of Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) funding, we eliminated the use of Ability to Benefit (ATB) Tests that did not adequately assess students' ability to complete college level work.
- We increased high school students' early exposure to the college environment and expectations for college study. In 2008-09, more than 70,000 New York State students are engaged in college study while still in high school.
In 2009 we must:
- Continue to advocate for adequate funding for TAP, STEP and CSTEP, Liberty Partnerships, Bundy Aid, and other programs to ensure that higher education is accessible for New Yorkers.
- Improve the college graduation rates for students in Associate's Degree programs. In 2007, the percentage of students who received an Associate's Degree in 3 years was 38.5%, down from 40.9% in 2004.
- Continue to review and revise the State Learning Standards; strengthen the alignment between expectations and knowledge and skills needed for high school graduation as well as for college level work.
- Reduce the number of first-year college students who need remedial instruction.
April 8, 2009