As they settle into the new year, students have been getting ready for the different challenges they are ready to face this year: classes, sports, or maybe even grades. For generations of New York state students, Regents have been more than just a final exam for their classes: the exams directly relate to their graduation and earning of a high school diploma. But beginning with the class of 2028, things will change.
On September 14, the New York State Board of Regents approved a change to requirements, offering, alongside Regents exams, alternative opportunities to showcase mastery. This raises the question some may ask: what kind of assessment will be available besides Regents?
Students still need to earn their twenty-two-credit requirement to graduate. As stated by the New York State Education Department (NYSED), students will be assessed based on strategies presented by their school district. What standards and assessments IHS will take has yet to be determined by the school district and serves as an important question as to how the district prepares for transition.
As part of the larger initiative, called NY Inspires, the Regents exam will still play a role in demonstrating achievements, shown by high scores that display mastery beyond the basic graduation requirements.
Beginning in the fall of 2027, New York plans to transition from the original three diplomas (Regents, Advanced Designation, and Local) to a single diploma. All students who complete the graduation requirements will receive the same diploma, while additional accomplishments can still be earned in the form of seals and endorsements.
At IHS, there are already multiple opportunities to pursue seals such as the Seal of Biliteracy and the Seal of Civic Readiness. As the State’s systems start to shift, these distinctions become visible for students wanting to demonstrate their mastery of certain subjects beyond basic graduation requirements.
For some students, testing is their strong suit. Continuing to offer Regents exams will still allow them to demonstrate mastery by way of seals and honors endorsements.
These changes create choices. A future IHS student might not need to pass the Regents to graduate, but they have the option to choose to demonstrate work and fulfill the same requirement.
The impacts the new changes have on college admissions are still uncertain. Colleges have already been evaluating students in many different ways, referencing applicants’ courses, grades, and extracurricular activities. When the new graduation system comes into effect next year, the IHS counselors will need to help students determine different uses of the Regents exams or other pathways to demonstrate their academic achievements.
While ending the Regents requirement for graduation does not mean the end for the Regents exams, it raises a new question that IHS will have to answer over the next few years: what should a student have to demonstrate to show that they’re ready to receive a diploma?
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