‘Lowering the bar’: New York might cut Regents exam as graduation requirement for high school students

The New York State Education Department is considering eliminating the Regents exam as a graduation requirement for high school students, according to a recommendation presented Monday to the Board of Regents, the New York Post reported.

For more than a century, high school students have been required to pass the Regents exam to receive their diplomas.

Last year, the State Education Department’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Graduation Measures argued that a test cannot determine students’ future success in the workforce.

Commissioner Betty A. Rosa stated, “Every student has unique talents, skills, and interests, and a one-size-fits-all approach fails to recognize and nurture these differences.”

“We must remove barriers and facilitate equitable access to education by addressing the individual needs of students, increasing opportunities for work-based learning or college readiness programs, and providing students with practical skills and experiences that enhance their employability and post-secondary education opportunities,” Rosa added.

If the education department adopted the proposed changes, students would still have the option to complete the Regents exam to receive their diplomas. However, high schoolers could also meet graduation requirements by completing other “performance-based” assessments, including writing essays or creating a portfolio of work, the Post reported. These alternative forms of assessment would first need to be approved by the state.

Robert Lowry, deputy director of the New York State Council of School Superintendents, explained, “The commission doesn’t really outline a specific approach from moving away from Regent exams, but it does say students should be provided with additional ways to demonstrate that they’ve learned what the state says a high school graduate should learn.”

Currently, New York students can receive three different types of graduation certificates, including the local diploma, the Regents diploma, and the Regents diploma with advanced designations.

“The difference between diploma types lies in the number of assessments the student passed and the required passing score(s),” the New York State Education Department’s website states.

In order to receive a local or Regents diploma, students must pass four Regents exams in each discipline, including English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. To receive advanced designation, students must pass two more math exams and one additional science exam.

The commission recommended consolidating the three diplomas into one that can be decorated with endorsements or seals for additional achievements.

Critics accused the commission of “lowering the bar” for students.

Mona Davids with the NYC Parents Union told the Post, “This is a continuation of the soft bigotry of low expectations from our black and Hispanic students.”

“They don’t think our kids are smart enough to pass the Regents exams. They’re lowering the bar. It is racist to look down on our kids,” Davids continued. “It’s dodging accountability for educating our students. They don’t think our students are educable.”

A state education policy veteran, who spoke to the Post on the condition of anonymity, questioned how the education department would monitor student success after eliminating the Regents exam.

“How are parents going to know if students are learning if we move away from exams? This is going in the exact opposite direction,” the source told the Post.

Eric Nadelstern, former deputy schools chancellor, warned that axing the Regents exam requirement without implementing “rigorous” assessments would be “a waste of time.”

“You’re watering down the standards,” Nadelstern told the Post. “But it could be a good thing if the alternative assessments are rigorous.”

Yiatin Chu, president of the advocacy group Asian Wave Alliance, also accused the commission of taking “a step in the wrong direction” and “lessening accountability for public school.”

“The Regents exams were never a high bar,” Chu added.

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