Frequently Asked Questions Related to the New York State Graduation Measures Initiative
The update on the Graduation Measures Initiative provided at the June 10, 2024 Board of Regents Meeting demonstrates the New York State Education Department’s commitment to transforming education in New York State to meet the expectations voiced by stakeholders and the challenges of the 21st century. While this is a monumental task that will take years to plan and implement, it is essential to ensure New York State P-12 education meets the needs of all students, is culturally and linguistically responsive, and prepares our students for success in 21st century life, college, careers, service, and citizenry.
1. What information was shared at the June 10 Board of Regents Meeting?
On June 10, the New York State Education Department (“Department”) shared four key transformations that establish the proposed vision for implementing the recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Commission on Graduation Measures. The four proposed transformations include:
- Adopting the New York State Portrait of a Graduate,
- Redefining credits,
- Sunsetting diploma assessment requirements, and
- Moving to one diploma.
2. Was this proposed vision adopted by the Board of Regents on June 10?
No. The proposed vision was presented for discussion on June 10. The Department intends to present a comprehensive implementation plan for the Board of Regents’ consideration in November 2024 after gathering feedback from the Ambassador Forums.
3. I was not able to view the June 10 Board of Regents Meeting. Is there a way for me to view the presentation?
Yes. A recording of the June 10 Board of Regents Meeting will be posted on the Board of Regents: Meetings webpage.
4. Where can I read the recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Commission on Graduation Measures?
The full report is posted on the Graduation Measures webpage.
5. Are the recommendations going into effect now?
No. The current graduation requirements remain in effect for all high school students.
The Commission’s recommendations were presented at the November 2023 Board of Regents Meeting. On June 10, 2024, Department staff proposed a vision for implementing the recommendations.
In the coming months, additional feedback will be gathered through the Blue Ribbon Commission (BRC) Ambassador Forums. At the same time, the Department will continue its work to identify potential budget considerations and begin to draft a comprehensive implementation plan.
The Regents are responsible for the general supervision of all educational activities in New York State and therefore must approve changes to the P-12 system. Neither the Blue Ribbon Commission on Graduation Measures nor Department staff have such authority. Changes to the current graduation requirements will be discussed at future Board of Regents meetings.
Our stakeholders are expecting significant change. Rethinking and modernizing education in New York State is not an easy task. True change takes time.
6. When will a timeline for implementation be released?
The Department intends to draft a comprehensive implementation plan to be released at the November 2024 Board of Regents Meeting after feedback has been gathered from the Ambassador Forums. This comprehensive implementation plan will include a timeline.
7. How does the Department’s vision support the needs of special populations including students with disabilities and English language learners?
The vision supports the needs of all students, including students with disabilities and English language learners because it allows students the flexibility to demonstrate their understanding and skills in the manner most aligned with their personal strengths and abilities. The vision does not create specific pathways for specific subgroups of students but instead creates options for students to provide the necessary evidence of their proficiency in the high school learning standards and the components of the portrait of a graduate.
The vision allows for student-centered pathways that are meaningfully and appropriately differentiated, while mitigating against perceptions that some means of demonstrating proficiency are easier than others or that some means are easier for one group compared to another. Such an approach is consistent with conversations of the Board of Regents focused on creating a more equitable system that allows for multiple measures to be used to assess what students know and can do while maintaining rigor.
8. Will the Portrait of a Graduate be adopted as recommended by the Blue Ribbon Commission on Graduation Measures?
The components of the Portrait of a Graduate will be discussed during the BRC Ambassador Forums. Based on stakeholder feedback, the Department may refine the components prior to presenting the final NYS Portrait of a Graduate to the Board of Regents for adoption.
9. What does the Department mean by “redefining credits”?
Currently, most students earn credit through the successful completion of a unit of study. A unit of study is based on a requirement for schools to provide a minimum of 180 minutes of instruction per week (or the equivalent). This time-based system stems from the Carnegie Unit. The Carnegie unit was developed in 1906 by the Carnegie Foundation to measure the amount of time a student studied a subject. Now, even the Carnegie Foundation supports a move away from time-based systems.
The Department proposes a redefining of credits to focus on student proficiency. The Department seeks to expand the ways students demonstrate their proficiency in the learning standards and the components of the Portrait of a Graduate. Under the proposed vision, students could provide evidence of their proficiency in a variety of ways. While this does not represent an exhaustive list, students could demonstrate proficiency through approved work-based or service-based learning experiences, capstone learning experiences, dual credit programs, earning NYS seals or credentials, high school courses, NYSED-approved career and technical education (CTE) programs, participation in the arts, or passing approved assessments including Regents Exams.
10. What does “sunsetting diploma assessment requirements” mean?
Under the proposed vision, students would not need to pass specific assessments, including Regents Exams, to earn a high school diploma.
11. If the proposed vision is approved for implementation, does this mean high school students will not need to take any exams?
No. High school students will continue to be assessed locally, as well as through certain State assessments that are required by federal law. Assessments provide educators, students, parents, districts, and the Department with essential information to understand where students are in terms of their learning by showing how students are achieving in terms of the State learning standards.
12. Is the Department eliminating the Regents Examinations?
No. The Regents Examinations are used not only to satisfy the state’s current diploma requirements, but specific Regents Exams are also to satisfy federal assessment requirements mandated by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Regents Exams are also an opportunity for students to demonstrate mastery of the learning standards in a specific course. While there are no changes to the Regents Exams or other New York State Assessments anticipated in the coming years, all changes will be communicated well in advance.
13. To clarify, in the future the Regents Exams will still be administered, but students won’t have to take them?
State assessments will continue to be administered per federal ESSA requirements. ESSA states that all students must be assessed in mathematics and reading or language arts in each grade 3 through 8; and at least once in grades 9 through 12. In science, assessments must be administered once in grades 3 through 5; once in grades 6 through 9; and once in grades 10 through 12. Under the proposed vision, the State high school exams will be one of the many options students can use as evidence of their proficiency in the learning standards and the components of the Portrait of a Graduate.
Under the proposed vision, students would not be required to pass Regents Exams to earn a high school diploma as other avenues for demonstrating proficiency would be available. Under the proposed vision, the State high school exams will be one of the many options students can use as evidence of their proficiency in the learning standards and the components of the Portrait of a Graduate.
14. Will the sunsetting of diploma assessment requirements decrease the rigor of high school instruction?
No. New York State educators are required to provide instruction aligned to the New York State learning standards. Learning standards articulate what all students should know and be able to do as a result of skilled instruction in subject areas and at grade levels. The Department will continue to support districts and schools as they continue to implement high-quality, culturally and linguistically responsive, student-centered, standards-based instruction.
Currently, high school learning standards exist in the following areas:
- Arts
- Career Development and Occupational Studies (CDOS)
- Computer Science and Digital Fluency
- English Language Arts (ELA)
- Family and Consumer Science (FACS)
- Health
- Mathematics
- Physical Education
- Science
- Social Studies
- Technology Education
- World Languages
15. Does the Department still intend to release the new Regents Exams aligned to the new math, science, and ELA learning standards in the coming years?
Yes. Both the timeline to implement the new ELA, math, and science standards and the timeline for new Regents Exams aligned to the new standards remain unchanged. Districts are required to implement the new standards per the timeline approved by the Board of Regents.
16. If a student is scheduled to take one of more Regents Exams this year, must they take the exam(s)?
Yes. The current credit and assessment requirements remain in effect for all high school students. Guidance related to the current diploma requirements can be found on the Department’s Graduation Requirements webpage.
17. If a student is scheduled to take one or more Regents Exams this year, but will not be graduating high school soon (such as 8th and 9th graders), must they still take the exam(s)?
Yes. The current credit and assessment requirements remain in effect for all high school students, and as neither specific changes to the current system nor a timeline for implementing such changes have yet been presented to or approved by the Board of Regents, schools and students must continue to follow the requirements of the current system. Guidance related to the current diploma requirements can be found on the Department’s Graduation Requirements webpage.
18. Is the Department sunsetting +1 Assessments (also known as +1 Pathways), such as the Seal of Civic Readiness, CTE Pathway, World Languages Pathway, and Individualized Arts Assessment Pathway?
The sunsetting of specific diploma assessment requirements would mean that students would no longer be required to successfully complete a +1 Assessment (+1 Pathway) to fulfill the diploma requirements. While the +1 Pathways would no longer be used to fulfill diploma assessment requirements, the Department strongly supports the continuation of these experiences for students. Such experiences provide evidence of students’ proficiency in the learning standards and the components of the Portrait of a Graduate.
Since the current graduation requirements remain in effect for all high school students, students are currently required to satisfy the +1 Assessment (+1 Pathway) requirement to earn a high school diploma.
19. If the Department moves to one diploma and the local diploma is no longer an option, does that mean that students with disabilities will have more difficulty gaining a high school diploma?
Stakeholders identified the diploma assessment requirements as the primary barrier to earning a diploma for students with disabilities. The proposed vision removes this barrier. Reference question 7 for additional information about how the proposed vision supports students with disabilities.
20. If the Department is eliminating the Regents Diploma with Advanced Designation, will high-achieving students still be able to demonstrate their achievements?
Yes. While the Department intends to move to one New York State High School Diploma, districts will still be able to officially recognize students’ achievements through additional seals or endorsements on a student’s diploma.
21. Is the Department accepting feedback on this vision for implementation of the recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Commission on Graduation Measures?
Yes. Feedback will be collected through ThoughtExchange and through the BRC Ambassador Forums.
Additionally, when the Department proposes regulatory changes based on the recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Commission, there will be a 60-day public comment period during which members of the public will be able to offer feedback.
If the Department seeks additional feedback, notice will be posted on the Graduation Measures webpage. Please Subscribe for updates to receive updates about graduation measures in New York State.
22. Where can additional information related to the Graduation Measures initiative be found?
Information about the Graduation Measures initiative is located on the Department’s Graduation Measures webpage. Subscribe for updates to receive updates about graduation measures in New York State.
Additional questions related to the Graduation Measures initiative may be referred to the Department at GradMeasures@nysed.gov.