Schools

Research Paper May Soon Be Required For HS Graduation

Board of Regents expected to approve plan to require a 1,250 word research paper.

Written by Ryan Bonner.

The New York Board of Regents is pushing forward with a plan to require all high school students to complete a 1,250 word research paper in order to earn a diploma. 

According to a Newsday report, the details of the proposed essay requirement will soon be reviewed by educators statewide after a Board of Regents committee considered the proposal at a meeting Monday. Final approval of the proposal could come as soon as November. 
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The plan calls for the essay requirement to go into effect for the Class of 2018– students who begin high school next year. Students would be able to submit their research papers, which would require a minimum of four sources of information, at any point during their high school careers, Newsday reported. 

State education officials say the five-page research paper–which comes on top of numerous tests that require students to demonstrate writing proficiency–is meant for students to show they are ready for college or a career in a way that cannot be measured through shorter, more traditional exams. 

“One of the key components required of the Common Core is having a depth of understanding and, certainly, a skill development around research,” State Education Department Deputy Commissioner Ken Slentz told the Board of Regents last April, according to the New York State School Boards Association. “The literacy skills, in general, are critical to students being successful (and) the research component is something that we really can’t over-emphasize.”

What do you think? Should high school students need to complete a 1,250 word research paper in order to graduate? Share your opinion in the comments section below. 


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