New York plans to eliminate Regents exam requirements for students

Regents examination requirements may soon become a thing of the past in New York State.

The state Department of Education (NYSED) released a plan Monday — ironically at a time when high school students are preparing for and taking end-of-year exams — to rescind the test-taking requirement for high school students, based on recommendations New York State Blue Ribbon Commission on Graduation Measures.

“NYSED recommends separating specific assessment requirements from graduation requirements. This means students will no longer have to sit Regents exams,” the plan states.

The Board of Regents, which is separate from NYSED, must still approve the plan. Students will still be required to take this month’s scheduled Regents exams. Tests will start on Friday, June 14.

If this requirement disappears, Regents exams will remain an option for students who want to demonstrate proficiency in meeting state learning standards.

Currently, New York City students earn one of three types of high school diplomas upon completion: a Regents diploma, an Advanced Regents diploma, or a local diploma. To obtain the standard Regents diploma, students must achieve at least 65 points in five state examinations.

All three options are valid high school diplomas. With the elimination of regents, the state will begin offering only one diploma.

The proposal to eliminate regents is part of NYSED’s broader vision to change state graduation requirements.

Another proposed change is the adoption of New York State’s “graduate portrait,” which state officials say is intended to show what students have mastered while in high school.

To earn a high school diploma, students would need to demonstrate proficiency in each element of the portrait, which includes critical thinking, innovative problem solving and literacy in a variety of subject areas.

Under the plan, they would also have to be “culturally, socially and emotionally competent, effective communicators and global citizens.”

“The educational transformation we envision reflects the thoughtful input we have received from our stakeholders, particularly public school students and their families,” said NYSED Commissioner Betty Rosa. “Transforming the education system takes an incredible amount of time, work and collective effort, and we won’t stop working until we get it right for all New Yorkers.”

Critics and supporters express their opinion

Kim Sweet, executive director of Advocates for Children of New York (AFC), an organization that helps students from low-income backgrounds, said the Regents exams are not only unnecessary but could also be “harmful” to students.

“Exam-exam policies like New York’s have caused significant harm to young people while failing to achieve their intended goal of improving the quality of teaching and learning,” Sweet said.

Sweet added that Regents’ policy does not support students who struggle on standardized tests.

“At AFC, we routinely work with students, many of whom have disabilities or are still learning English, who have completed coursework but are unable to earn a high school diploma because they struggle with standardized assessments, sometimes taking one exam for half-a-dozen times to try to increase your score by just a few points,” she added. “Enabling young people to demonstrate their skills and knowledge in a variety of ways, without having to take high-stakes tests, will help ensure that our nation’s education system meets the needs of today’s students. “

Other education experts are more critical of the policy change, including Andy Lockwood, CEO and co-founder of Lockwood College Prep.

“I oppose eliminating Regents because grade inflation in schools is already so high that it is becoming increasingly difficult to determine whether children are eligible for college work,” he stated.

While Lockwood acknowledges that standardized tests are not perfect, he added that they help teachers determine how well students have mastered subjects.

“The more you leave out these standardized tests that are supposed to level the playing field, the harder it is to determine whether a child is getting enough of the required curriculum in all core subjects,” he says. added.

NYSED will hold a series of public forums from July to October to solicit feedback before presenting a formal proposal with a schedule and comments to the Board of Regents in November.