New York education leaders are pushing a new timeline for which regents exams will be eliminated as a graduation requirement in January 2028. The idea to move away from that form of standardized testing has been on the table for several years.
Some people view this shift as lowering expectations. But people in the education field say there will be a rigorous set of learning standards still in place, there will just be new alternatives for students to show mastery of them.
The August 2027 regents would be the last exams required for graduation. The tests from there would only measure a student’s progress and allow them to earn endorsements on their diplomas. This was all laid out by the state’s Department of Education during a presentation earlier this week.
New York state would fall in line with more than 40 other states where testing is not part of high school graduation requirements. The state would also move toward offering just one diploma. Right now, there are three and it’s based on how many regents exams a student takes and their scores.
New York State United Teachers represents more than 600,000 school-related professionals and leaders. They applaud the change and are also intrigued by what’s being coined as the New York State Portrait of a Graduate. This will offer students the opportunity to demonstrate what they’ve learned by way of projects or internships.
“There is some miscommunication out there or misunderstanding that this is lowering standards,” NYSUT Executive Vice President Jaimie Ciffone said. “Where actually if you look at the state’s Education Department’s Profile of a New York State Graduate, it is actually looking at those lifelong skills that our students will need for their life to be successful citizens.”
Ciffone also said there is still a lot to learn about this rollout.
“This is a shift in teaching and learning so teaching and learning will look differently in our classrooms,” she said. “I always go back to what sort of professional learning will be provided to our educators to make this shift so all can be successful.”
Right now, these are just plans, pending approval by the Board of Regents. But given the time and thought given to this since 2019, it’s safe to assume this will move forward in some capacity soon.