New York state teenagers will no longer be required to pass Regents exams to earn their high school diplomas, under a new plan announced Monday by the New York State Department of Education.
The Department of Education plans to eliminate the requirement that students pass five Regents exams to graduate from high school, but will continue to offer the tests as an option for students to “demonstrate their ability to meet state learning standards.”
The department presented the proposal at Monday’s board meeting based on recommendations from a task force of students, parents, educators, researchers and community leaders.
The New York State Blue Ribbon Committee on Graduation Standards was established in 2019 as part of the Board of Regents and Department of Education’s effort to rethink what a New York State diploma means.
The Commission’s primary goal was to bring true equity to the public school system and ensure that all New York students have the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in school and after graduation.
The committee released its findings and recommendations in November 2023, which formed the basis of the Department of Education’s plan released on Monday.
Education Commissioner Betty Rosa said the new plan was developed primarily with input from public school students and their families.
“The bold vision we are advancing today is the direct result of countless hours of collaborative work by an incredibly diverse set of experts and members of the public,” Rosa said in a statement. “The education reforms we envision reflect the thoughtful input we received from stakeholders, particularly public school students and their families.”
“Reforming our education system will take incredible time, effort and collaborative effort, and we won’t stop until we get the job done right for all New Yorkers.”
In lieu of the three-hour Regents exam requirement, the Department of Education proposed creating a “graduate profile” indicator that would assess students’ success as “critical thinkers, innovative problem solvers, all-disciplinary literacy, cultural competence, social-emotional competence, effective communicators, and global citizens.”
Before the plan is formally adopted, the Department of Education will hold a series of public forums between July and October 2024 to gather feedback on the proposed changes.
Next month, in November 2024, the department will submit an implementation plan and timeline for the proposal to the Board of Regents, which must approve the changes to New York’s graduation requirements before they can officially go into effect.
