NYS gets greenlight to start phasing out Regents high school graduation requirement
Starting in the 2027-28 school year, students will no longer have to receive a Regents diploma to graduate high school. Credit: Google Maps
The New York State Board of Regents gave the greenlight Monday to begin revamping high school graduation requirements, as the state seeks to eliminate the need for students to pass Regents exams to graduate.
At a Regents board meeting, state Education Department officials provided the clearest window yet into what these new requirements will mean for students, while also stressing that they will not water down standards but rather expand ways for students to demonstrate competency in different areas.
Starting in the 2027-28 school year, New York will no longer require a Regents diploma to graduate high school. The Regents exams will continue to be offered on an optional basis and those who pass the tests will receive an “advanced designation” in the form of a seal or endorsement on their transcript.
Under the new graduation framework, students will have various opportunities to exhibit proficiency, including via “classroom assessments, student work, performance-based learning, educator observations, and state assessments,” according to a slide presented during the board meeting.
The state is required to assess students under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, or ESSA. According to the plan presented Monday, state assessments given to children in grades 3-8 will be expanded to the high school level. Districts will be responsible for rolling out local assessments.
State educators will propose changes to the high school graduation guidelines in February, which will then kick off the 60-day public comment period for a planned June adoption of the rules.
There were 776,305 public school students in grades 9 through 12 in New York State in the 2024-25 school year, which is the most recent data available from the state Education Department.
State officials questioned
Zachary Warner, assistant commissioner for the state Education Department's Office of State Assessment, told the Regents board Monday that “assessment takes many forms and frequencies, and very critically, that every assessment has an intended purpose and an appropriate use.” While the exams will remain, students will also be able to demonstrate statewide achievement and readiness on local and state high school assessments, he said.
Some board members had pointed questions for state officials.
Vice chancellor Judith Chin, who represents Queens, told educators that "the public will always question whether or not we're …dumbing down the assessment."
What role, she asked, will the state play in "monitoring and assessing the local assessments to make sure that they are reliable..."
Acknowledging that the full picture is still incomplete, Warner said educators will continue to track learning and advancement. He noted that students will still be subject to a statewide assessment.
"What we're trying to do is simply remove the idea that performance on that assessment has anything to do with whether you've demonstrated you're ready to earn a high school diploma several years later,” Warner said.
Angelique Johnson-Dingle, the state's deputy commissioner for P-12 instructional support, said the overhaul is intended to keep pace with what students currently need to enter college and begin jobs. “Experiences like internships, work-based learning, service learning, capstone projects, career-connected learning and interdisciplinary courses can all contribute to student growth and achievement," she said.
“At its heart, this transformation is about creating a graduation system that is simpler, more equitable and more reflective of the many ways students demonstrate learning and readiness for the future,” she added.
While Johnson-Dingle said additional details will be released during the regulatory proposal, she said that students graduating this academic year will not be affected by the changes.
"Students should still continue taking the same courses that they have been taking, they should continue moving forward as they had," Dingle said.
Aramina Vega Ferrer, who represents the Bronx, asked what the role the Regents exams will play under the new framework and what guidance will be provided.
Warner responded, "If there is a different way for them to show their knowledge, their skill, their proficiencies, in a way that lets them shine, there is that opportunity to."
The state announced in 2024 that it was overhauling learning standards.The New York State Portrait of a Graduate was adopted in July 2025.
Robert Lowry, senior education finance and policy analyst at the New York State Council of School Superintendents, told Newsday that two decades ago the council joined other groups in pushing for more flexibility around Regents’ requirements. The council “recogniz[ed] that there's more than one way to be a success in adult life, and therefore there should be more than one way to earn a diploma,” Lowry said.
Newsday's Michael R. Ebert contributed to this report.
Lorena Mongelli has been reporting for Newsday since 2021. Prior to that, she covered breaking news at the New York Post.
