Passing a Regents Math exam is required for high school graduation. Beyond that, mastery of math skills is tied to critical thinking and analysis, abilities crucial to success in secondary and post-secondary studies and in the workplace.

In 2019, 73% of students in our region passed the Common Core Regents exam in Algebra 1, slightly above the statewide passing rate of 71%. Wyoming County had the highest passing rate of 91%, and 68% of Monroe County students passed. All surrounding counties and the region as a whole had increases from 2014. In the City of Rochester, just 35% of Rochester School District students passed in 2019, a decrease of 1 points from 2018, and 56% of charter school students passed, below their 2018 rate.

Regents exams in several subjects have been revised to reflect Common Core standards. The Common Core was adopted in most states to better prepare students for success beyond high school by emphasizing problem solving, understanding and synthesis, comprehension of nonfiction text, and other higher-order thinking skills. 2016 was the first year that nearly all students took the Common Core version of the Algebra 1 exam. Students have to pass five Regents exams (math, English, global history, U.S. history and science) to graduate. Data for this indicator are expected to be released in the fourth quarter.