Charlie, regents were mandatory 40 eyars ago when I was in school, so I am not sure what you are saying.
Simcha man, are you implying that ALL the students throughout the USA do not take their courses as seriously as New Yorkers, because they do not have regents exams? I was an A student, and found absolutely no value in taking or even preparing for regents. All it did was make me uncomfortable about having to sit for three hours in a room filled with hundreds of students, and not be in a more relaxed atmosphere.