The New York State Board of Regents is moving forward with a plan to stop making the Regents exams necessary for high school graduation. The exams have been a requirement for decades in the state. But that’s now due to change — starting for students graduating in 2028. Education offi cials said the exams will continue to serve as a measure of academic achievement, but will no longer be a separate diploma requirement. “Every student in New York deserves access to rich, high‑quality learning experiences and meaningful opportunities to demonstrate what they know and can do,” Board of Regents Chancellor Lester W. Young, Jr. said. “Advancing this work moves us closer to a more equitable system, one that upholds high expectations for all while ensuring that a student’s zip code, background, or circumstance never determines their opportunities for success.” This academic year’s class of seniors will be the last required to pass the exams to earn their diploma. Instead, going forward, the state’s Department of Education is expected to develop alternation graduation requirements. “By maintaining rigorous standards while giving students more opportunities to apply their knowledge, think critically, solve problems, and demonstrate what they know and can do, we are better preparing them for college, careers, civic life, and the future,” Betty Rosa, the state’s education commissioner, said in a statement. ...read more read less