January 2016 High School Examination Schedule Students must verify with their schools the exact times that they are to report for their State examinations. Uniform Admission Deadlines Morning Examinations – 10:00 a.m. Afternoon Examinations – 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, January 26 – 9:15 a.m. RE in Global History and Geography Physical Setting/Physics* RCT in Reading* […]
January 2016 High School Examination Schedule
Students must verify with their schools the exact times that they are to report for their State examinations.
Registration is open for our January 17 Regents and SAT review classes at Farmingdale State College. Visits www.liregentsprep.com to register for Algebra I Common Core Regents review or our SAT Crash Course, which includes a custom SAT review book.
Registration is open for our January 17 Regents and SAT review classes at Farmingdale State College. Visits www.liregentsprep.com to register for Algebra I Common Core Regents review or our SAT Crash Course, which includes a custom SAT review book.
From Farmingdale Patch Three Minutes Across the Counter With Long Island Regents Prep “Three Minutes Across the Counter” is a feature on Patch in which we chat with local business owners. If you would like to be featured, email [email protected] with the name of your business. Meet Michael Graziosi, Brad Seidman, and Dennis Urban. They’re […]
Three Minutes Across the Counter With Long Island Regents Prep
“Three Minutes Across the Counter” is a feature on Patch in which we chat with local business owners. If you would like to be featured, email [email protected] with the name of your business.
Meet Michael Graziosi, Brad Seidman, and Dennis Urban. They’re full-time social studies teachers at Bellmore-Merrick Central High who a created one-day intensive Regents and AP review courses at Farmingdale State College.
These educators help students prepare and learn material for tests that weigh heavily on their futures.
The owners of Long Island Regents Prep recently spoke to Patch so our readers can learn more about them. Check out what they had to say:
What is your name? Tell us about your business
Long Island Regents Prep was founded in 2009 by Michael Graziosi, Brad Seidman, and Dennis Urban, full-time social studies teachers in the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District. After preparing thousands of our own students for NY State Regents Exams and AP Exams, we realized that students sometimes needed Regents review and AP review beyond what was offered in the classroom. That’s when we created our one-day intensive Regents and AP review courses at Farmingdale State College. In each of our review courses, students learn the major course topics, practice test questions, and acquire test-taking strategies and tips from experienced, NY state-certified teachers. Our instructors prepare AP and Regents review material and provide practice problems for students to complete during the six-hour session.
In 2014 we launched our new SAT review program, a one-day SAT Crash Course that includes an original review book created by Joshua Fialkow, a longtime, accomplished SAT tutor and teacher. All instructors in our SAT prep program are both experienced SAT tutors and NYS-certified teachers.
Since 2009, we have served more than 3,100 students from Suffolk County, Nassau County, and New York City, and we continue to grow. Our success is largely due to word-of-mouth recommendations and the positive feedback we receive each year. As NYS-certified teachers, we aim not only to help students pass their tests, but to ensure they excel on their Regents, AP, and SAT exams. We pride ourselves in offering an affordable alternative to private tutoring without compromising the quality of instruction.
How did you get your first start in this business?
We had been tutoring students privately for years, and we recognized the need for affordable tutoring services run by certified teachers. In addition, we had worked for other test prep companies, and they were owned by business people or lawyers, not by actual teachers. So we decided to form our own company and offer classes at Farmingdale State College, a location that’s convenient for students in Nassau and Suffolk counties. Since none of us has formal business training or a business degree, we learned a lot along the way, including marketing, bookkeeping, human resources, customer service, and website development. We’ve worked very hard over the past 6 or 7 years to integrate our educational expertise in teaching and curriculum development with the business skills we’ve picked up along the way, and we’ve been pretty successful as a result.
Is this your first business venture? What other projects have you worked on?
Yes, this is our first business venture. We started out pretty small, serving a few hundred students our first year. We now have over 600 students taking our Regents, AP, and SAT review classes each spring, and we’ve started offering SAT review classes in the fall because of the high demand.
We have partnered with a few other companies to expand our services. For over a year, we have been working with renowned test-prep guru Gary Gruber and the folks over atGruber Prep to develop AP review materials for their online test prep services. In all, we developed 5 AP review courses for Gruber Prep, which are available online and in book form on Amazon as Gruber’s Essential AP.
We have also partnered with another Long Island company called LearnerPal to offer online supplements to our in-class Regents review sessions at Farmingdale.
What’s the best business advice you’ve ever received?
During our first year in business, we met with a consultant who encouraged us to have a larger online presence by creating original content and sharing that content through Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. So, we developed a blog and began making connections online. As a result, we’ve connected with more students and parents, and we’ve fostered business partnerships on LinkedIn and Twitter. Of course, nothing is a substitute for the personal relationships we’ve forged with students, parents, teachers, and schools over the past 6 years, but our online presence has helped a lot.
How long have you lived or done business here?
We are all native Long Islanders, and we’ve been in business in Farmingdale since 2009.
What’s your favorite part about being a business in the area? What makes the area special?
Introducing students to the SUNY Farmingdale campus, which is in the process of developing a state-of-the-art campus, is a big plus. Also, Farmingdale is centrally located and easily accessible to all Long Islanders.
Did anyone influence you as a business owner? How?
Each of our fathers owned his own business, so I think that instilled in us a sense of entrepreneurship and hard work. There’s an enormous sense of pride in seeing hundreds of students show up to take your review classes on a Saturday or Sunday morning. You know they’re giving up a weekend to be there, and you know that they’ll be much better prepared for their exams because of it.
Did you ever make a business mistake and later on were glad you made it?
We can’t think of one specific mistake, but because none of us had business experience going into this project, we learned a lot along the way. Oh, and always get good promotional pens, because otherwise you’re stuck with thousands of bad pens for years. 🙂
Tell us something about yourself that people may not know.
We have each won the coveted “Teacher of the Year” award at John F. Kennedy High School in Bellmore, NY, where we teach full time.
What advice would you give to a business owner just starting out?
If you’re good at something, if you enjoy doing it, and if there’s market for it, get started now! Make a business plan and run with it.
Throughout the country, there has been a lot of handwringing over the new Common Core Mathematics Standards. In particular, there’s concern over whether introducing new ways to solve problems makes math unnecessarily difficult. A recent article in The Atlantic explained the new requirements and why they might be encumbering students. The authors write, “The Common Core […]
Throughout the country, there has been a lot of handwringing over the new Common Core Mathematics Standards. In particular, there’s concern over whether introducing new ways to solve problems makes math unnecessarily difficult. A recent article in The Atlantic explained the new requirements and why they might be encumbering students. The authors write, “The Common Core math standards…take understanding to a whole new level. ‘Students who lack understanding of a topic may rely on procedures too heavily,’ states the Common Core website. ‘But what does mathematical understanding look like?’ And how can teachers assess it? One way is to ask the student to justify, in a way that is appropriate to the student’s mathematical maturity, why a particular mathematical statement is true, or where a mathematical rule comes from. The underlying assumption here is that if a student understands something, he or she can explain it—and that deficient explanation signals deficient understanding. But this raises yet another question: What constitutes a satisfactory explanation?”
In New York State, more than 200,000 students opted out of the Common Core exams. At the high school level, Common Core standards have been introduced into the English and Math Regents exams. In 2014, the New York State Education Department began offering a Common Core Algebra I Regents exam. This year it introduced the Common Core geometry, Algebra II and English Language Arts exams. On the math Regents tests, schools have seen a drop in students’ test scores because of the new standards. And high school students can not opt out of the Regents exams because they’re required for graduation.
Some students will be taking or retaking the Algebra I Regents exam on January 28, 2016 (you can find the complete 2016 January Regents Exam Schedule here). While the NYS website offers some Algebra I practice exams, students may need a bit more Regents prep to get through the exam.
In response to the increasing demand for January Regents prep courses, Long Island Regents Prep has decided to offer an Algebra I Regents Review class on Sunday, January 17, at Farmingdale State College. Come join us! You can register now online by visiting www.liregentsprep.com.
Right now, many high school juniors are deciding whether to take the current SAT exam, which has only two remaining administrations, in December and January, or to wait for the New SAT to debut in March 2016. The current SAT, with its focus on critical reading, writing, and mathematics is familiar to most students. There […]
Right now, many high school juniors are deciding whether to take the current SAT exam, which has only two remaining administrations, in December and January, or to wait for the New SAT to debut in March 2016. The current SAT, with its focus on critical reading, writing, and mathematics is familiar to most students. There are countless review resources, including practice questions, review books, SAT prep classes, and online materials.
The New SAT, however, is largely a question mark. Despite the publication of review materials designed for the New SAT, students won’t have a full autopsy report until after the first group of students conquers the exam next March. According to the College Board, which publishes the SATs, changes in the New SAT include the following:
All-new essay — and it’s optional
No penalty for guessing
No vocab that you’ll never use again
4 parts: Reading, Writing and Language, Math, and the optional SAT Essay
400–1600 score scale
3 hours and 50 minutes with the SAT Essay — or 3 hours without it
4 answer choices for each question
A recent article in Forbescautioned students against taking the New SAT because there are so few practice questions, the score reports won’t be available until May 2016, and the exam is similar to the ACT. Students, however, should decide for themselves which SAT to take.
Test-prep guru Gary Gruber has developed a diagnostic tool to help students figure out which SAT test is best for them. According to Business Insider, “Gruber contends that he knows which exam students should take to ensure they get the highest possible score…. Gruber went on to explain that students who were more inquisitive and could pick up on nuances in questions will do better on the old version of the SAT. The new SAT and the ACT — the other major standardized test students take — are very similar in terms of content and questions, according to Gruber.” Students can access this free SAT Diagnostic Exams here, or scroll down to the bottom of this post to take the Gruber Math and Verbal tests.
Long Island Regents Prep is busily preparing its New SAT review materials in anticipation of the March 2016 changes. In the meantime, though, students can register for our January 17 SAT Crash Course in preparation for the final administration of the current SAT exam. Students should sign up early for our Long Island SAT review classes at Farmingdale State College.
Long Island SAT Review Classes at Farmingdale State College
Time is running out to take the current SAT before it’s phased out next spring. Register for one of Long Island Regents Prep’s SAT Crash Courses today! SAT Crash Course Flyer 9-27-15
Time is running out to take the current SAT before it’s phased out next spring. Register for one of Long Island Regents Prep’s SAT Crash Courses today!
Wednesday, August 12 – 8:30 a.m. Comprehensive English Regents Algebra I Regents (Common Core) Geometry Regents (Common Core) Wednesday, August 12 – 12:30 p.m. Global History and Geography Regents Algebra 2/Trigonometry Regents Living Environment Regents Thursday, August 13 – 8:30 a.m. U.S. History and Government Regents Geometry Regents (2005 Standard) Thursday, August 13 – 12:30 […]
Long Island Regents Prep recently had the pleasure of teaching its SAT Crash Course to 18 students visiting from China. The SAT prep and overview course, “Mastering the New SAT Exam,” was offered through a partnership between Long Island Regents Prep and WorldStrides, the nation’s oldest and largest student travel organization. Taught at Pace University, the SAT class was developed […]
Long Island Regents Prep recently had the pleasure of teaching its SAT Crash Course to 18 students visiting from China. The SAT prep and overview course, “Mastering the New SAT Exam,” was offered through a partnership between Long Island Regents Prep and WorldStrides, the nation’s oldest and largest student travel organization. Taught at Pace University, the SAT class was developed by Long Island Regents Prep’s Director of SAT Review, Joshua Fialkow. Mr. Fialkow, who holds degrees in history and education from Yale and Columbia, brings a decade of teaching, tutoring, and curriculum writing experience to his SAT course development.
During the 4-hour SAT class, which took place on July 19, Mr. Fialkow introduced students to the newly redesigned SAT, which debuts in March 2016. “Mastering the New SAT Exam” provided the WorldStrides students with an overview of the New SAT, test-taking strategies, and sample SAT questions. So far, feedback from WorldStrides students has been overwhelmingly positive. Long Island Regents Prep will offer a more comprehensive version of this SAT Crash Course at Farmingdale State College beginning in February 2016.
Long Island Regents Prep’s Director of SAT Review, Joshua Fialkow, introduces the New SAT Exam to WorldStrides students from China at Pace University.
Thanks to everyone who showed up for our Regents Review Classes this past weekend at SUNY Farmingdale! Below is a schedule of the June 2015 NYS Regents Exams. Good luck! June 2015 High School Examination Schedule At its December 2014 meeting, the Board of Regents approved the provision of one additional opportunity in June 2015 […]
Thanks to everyone who showed up for our Regents Review Classes this past weekend at SUNY Farmingdale! Below is a schedule of the June 2015 NYS Regents Exams. Good luck!
June 2015 High School Examination Schedule
At its December 2014 meeting, the Board of Regents approved the provision of one additional opportunity in June 2015 for those students receiving Algebra I (Common Core) instruction that began prior to September 2014 to take, at the school’s discretion, the Regents Examination in Integrated Algebra in addition to the Regents Examination in Algebra I (Common Core) to meet the requirement for graduation and to use the higher score for transcript purposes. This change is intended to provide the same flexibility for students enrolled in four-semester “stretch” courses as had previously been available to students enrolled in two-semester courses or three-semester “stretch” courses.
Consequently, the June 2015 Examination Schedule has been revised to include the Regents Examination in Integrated Algebra on Thursday, June 18, 2015 at 9:15 a.m. To accommodate the inclusion of this additional exam, the Regents Examination in Physical Setting/Earth Science has been changed to Friday, June 19, 2015 at 9:15 a.m. For the revised June 2015 Regents Examination Schedule, please see the attached schedule marked “UPDATED 12/16.” This schedule supersedes any previously released schedule for the June 2015 examination period.
Thank you for everything you do to help ensure that the students of New York State graduate from high school ready for college and their careers.
Students must verify with their schools the exact times that they are to report for their State examinations.
