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Funding for this project generously provided by Overdeck Family Foundation

1907

New York State Regents Exams in Mathematics

Exams from yesteryear

Standardized tests and examinations have long been an important tool allowing teachers and administrators to evaluate student knowledge and the effectiveness of educational practices. While modern standardized exams employ multiple-choice questions and automated grading, the exam sheets of yesteryear were answered and graded by hand. The National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian holds a fascinating collection of standard examinations in mathematics administered in the state of New York in the early decades of the 1900s.

New York State Regents Exams in Mathematics

In the 1860s, the Regents of the University of the State of New York began planning examinations to test the knowledge and abilities of students graduating from high school. Examples of these examinations in mathematics were collected by Brooklyn high school mathematics teacher L. Leland Locke between 1907 and 1919. This collection of problems, grouped into arithmetic, algebra, geometry, trigonometry and algebra, provides insight into the very high level of mathematical mastery expected of students graduating from high school in the early 20th century.

Artifact dimensions

1.5 cm × 12.9 cm × 20.4 cm

Artifact origin

New York, United States

Current artifact location

National Museum of American History, Washington

Catalog number

2011.0129.08

Timeline

MathematicsEducation timeline babylonian-scribe-school-multiplication-tablet Rhind Papyrus Slate with Numeral Frame Derby Museum Hornbook North American Hornbook Wood Hornbook with Abacus Maria Agnesi's Analytical Institutions Midshipman's Cyphering Book Samuel Fay's Cyphering Book Lincoln's Cyphering Book Orville Wright's Arithmetic Textbook New York State Regents Exams in Mathematics

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