New York will no longer require students to pass a series of Regents exams to graduate beginning with the Class of 2028.
The New York State Board of Regents voted Monday to implement a plan that would eliminate exam requirements for high school graduation and move to one diploma.
It’s part of an effort to modernize graduation requirements as part of the NY Inspires initiative.
For 25 years, students have had to pass five Regents exams to graduate from high school.
Officials with the state Education Department say that, while Regents exams remain important, the tests are not the best way to compare student performance across schools.
“This has nothing to do with lowering standards. This has nothing to do with expecting less of our students,” said Zachary Warner, assistant commissioner for state assessment at the department. “This has everything to do with using the right tool for a critically important job. We need to provide … evidence that students are ready to succeed in the life that comes after high school, and this is not something a Regents exam was ever intended to do.”
The state will come up with a new performance assessment for high school students similar to the tests taken by elementary and middle school students, to comply with federal accountability requirements.
Local districts also will develop their own assessment strategies. And graduating students will have to prove competency in areas like critical thinking, problem-solving and civic responsibility.
Officials pointed out Regents exams aren’t required at many elite private schools, and those students still have strong outcomes in college and after.
“Every student in New York deserves access to rich, high‑quality learning experiences and meaningful opportunities to demonstrate what they know and can do,” Commissioner Betty Rosa said in a statement. “Advancing this work moves us closer to a more equitable system, one that upholds high expectations for all while ensuring that a student’s zip code, background, or circumstance never determines their opportunities for success."
Officials said Regents exams are not going away and still will be used to assess academic performance in certain areas.
The “one diploma” also will begin with students graduating in 2028. Currently students can get a standard Regents diploma, one with an advanced designation or a local diploma is they score lower on the exams.
