State cancels January Regents exams because of COVID-19 pandemic
The state Education Deparment has canceled Regents exams for January, but no decisions have been made about the June and August exams or any other state assessment programs, Education Commissioner Betty A. Rosa said. Credit: Hans Pennink
State Regents exams scheduled for Jan. 25 to 28 have been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, top education officials said Tuesday.
Regents exams in nine subject areas had been scheduled. No decisions have been made about the June and August exams or any other state assessment programs, state Education Commissioner Betty A. Rosa said.
"Educators, school staff, communities, and families have taken painstaking efforts to ensure a safe and healthy school year," Board of Regents Chancellor Lester W. Young Jr. said in a statement. "Given the unpredictable nature of the pandemic, the recent acceleration in COVID-19 infections, and continuing upheaval the virus has caused in schools across the state, this decision is the right one."
About 300,000 students statewide typically take the January exams, while about 1.6 million participate in June. First administered in 1866, the exams traditionally served as gatekeepers to graduation.
Students typically have been required to pass at least four exams, though the rule was temporarily suspended after the coronavirus hit in March 2020. To ensure students are not adversely impacted in January, the state Education Department again will ask Regents to adopt emergency requirements for graduation.
Port Washington Superintendent Michael J. Hynes agreed with the state's decision.
"I appreciate the commissioner and chancellor making these difficult decisions and adjusting in real time," he said. "I couldn’t agree with them more. The unpredictable nature of this pandemic means we must make decisions in the best interest of all students."
Leaders of the New York State United Teachers Union, with about 600,000 members, issued a statement praising the decision.
"Given the unevenness of this school year with the pandemic still ongoing and the acute social-emotional needs of our students, canceling the January Regents exams is the right choice," the statement read.
The state Education Department canceled all but four of the exams in June, administering tests only in Algebra I, Earth Science (written test only), English Language Arts, and Living Environment. Additionally, students who received remote instruction did not have to go to school just to take the exams, and they were not a requirement for graduation.
The state canceled the August exams as well.
Joie Tyrrell is a Long Island native and covers education for Newsday, where she has worked since 1998.
