Beginning of Essay
In order to graduate from a public high school in New York State, students must go through many required courses and activities that students in other states may not have. The suggestion of adding a new requirement for graduation, a certain number of hours in a c ....

Middle of Essay
.... example, Florida only requires one credit of high school physical education for graduation, whereas New York requires four. A similar comparison is true for many other courses. This fact alone shows the higher standards by which New York State students learn, but there is more. Along with extra requirements in core courses, New York also has Regents exams. The Regents tests, state standardized, are long, difficult, and competitive. Students compete for Regents awards and scholarships. In addition, passing these tests is required for advancement in course work. The Regents becomes mandatory for classes graduating the year of 2001 and after, making sc ....