Parents, teachers petition for NY graduation policy that eliminates Regents exams requirement

Key Facts

A coalition is demanding that a pandemic-era graduation policy that does not rely on “high-stakes” tests be made permanent, the Daily News has learned.
More than 1,200 families, teachers and advocates sent a petition Monday urging the state education department to permanently remove Regents exams as a graduation requirement — a policy signatories say can be discriminatory.
“Another way is possible: we do not have to go back to a pre-pandemic system that was keeping far too many students from graduating,” read the letter.
The petitioners argued that there is no evidence that exit exams increase student achievement, nor improve employment outcomes or earnings — while there are studies showing they may deter students from rigorous coursework, and increase dropout rates for some children, including students of color or from low-income backgrounds.