Students Who Pass Regents Class Won't Need the Exam to Graduate

In response to the statewide closures of schools to stop the spread of COVID-19, the New York State Department of Education canceled the June high school regents exams. But what does this mean for students who needed to pass that regents exam to graduate? Will the cancelation of these exams put your child at a disadvantage? Luckily, the NYSED is making adjustments to the Regents Exam and Pathway Assessment requirements that students traditionally had to meet to earn their diplomas, to credentials, and to endorsements so your child won’t be adversely impacted by these exam cancelations.

Regents Exam Exemptions

Students in grade 7-12 who were supposed to take a regents exam will be exempt from needing to pass the exam to graduate if they are currently enrolled in the Regents course and pass the course by the end of the 2020 school year. That said, if the student is currently enrolled in a course that culminates in a Regents exam and fails to earn credit by the end of the school year (the student fails the class), that student will have to return for summer school to make up the failed course credit and will be granted the diploma in August of 2020.

Pathway Assessment Exemptions

Students in courses preparing to take a NYSED-approved +1 Pathway Assessment in June will also be exempt from needing to pass the exam to obtain a diploma if the student passes the course by the end of the 2020 school year. This applies to students who previously  passed a course culminating in a +1 Pathway Assessment and had planned on taking the exam this June.