New York students may no longer have to pass Regents exams to graduate from high school.
The state education department released recommendations Monday to create more ways to demonstrate proficiency in various subjects, while phasing out the Regents requirement for graduation. If implemented, the move would represent a shift away from standards that have been in place in some form for more than 100 years.
Critics say exit exams are an unfair obstacle for groups of students – including people with disabilities and English language learners – who deserve a diploma.
“True equity and excellence in education is achievable – but only if we provide all students with meaningful educational opportunities and multiple avenues for them to demonstrate their mastery of the State’s rigorous learning standards,” Board of Regents Chancellor Lester Young, Jr. said in a statement.
The recommendations will be the subject of a series of public hearings through the fall before officials make a final decision.
For generations, students across the state have been required to pass multiple Regents exams to earn a diploma. To graduate in New York now, most students pass five Regents exams in core subjects, including English Language Arts, math, social studies and science. The tests take hours to complete.
The new recommendations call for offering more ways for students to demonstrate proficiency, including through work, community service, performances or presentations. Instead of the current three-tier structure for diplomas, there would be just one
Only eight states require exit exams similar to the Regents, according to Advocates for Children of New York, which supported the move to sunset the exams requirement.
“We routinely work with students—many of whom have disabilities or are still learning English—who have completed their coursework but are unable to earn a high school diploma because they struggle with standardized assessments, sometimes sitting for a single exam a half-dozen times to try to raise their score by just a few points,” Kim Sweet, executive director for Advocates for Children of New York, said. “Allowing young people to demonstrate their skills and knowledge in multiple ways, without requiring them to pass high-stakes exams, will help ensure our State’s education system meets the needs of today’s students.”
Not everyone supported the reform.
“Given the decline of college readiness for many NY students, loosening standards based on subjective measures will only exacerbate the problem,” the group PLACE NYC, which advocates for selective admissions and standardized testing, said in a statement.
Under the proposal, the Regents wouldn’t disappear altogether. Students will have the option of continuing to take Regents tests to show proficiency, state officials said.
It could be years before the changes go into effect, if they’re approved. State education officials have been studying graduation measures since 2019. Following the public forums this summer and fall, the state education department will present an implementation plan, which would then go to the Board of Regents for a vote. Officials did not say when that vote would take place.
