ALBANY, New York (WWNY) – For the second year in a row, the January high school regents exams have been canceled because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The announcement came Tuesday from the New York State Education Department.
“New York set a daunting record last week with more COVID-19 cases reported in one day than ever before,” said Education Commissioner Betty Rosa. “Once again, the January Regents Exams cannot be safely, equitably, and fairly administered across the state.
The department said it will ask the Board of Regents to approve modifications to the assessment requirements that students must meet to earn high school diplomas, credentials, and endorsements.
These modifications apply to all students who are completing a secondary-level course of study or make-up program in January and are scheduled to participate in one or more of the January 2022 regents exams.
“I was glad to see that the state education department and board of regents made this announcement well in advance of the January regents…Having to worry about exactly what the logistics of a mass testing environment would look like is just one less thing that we have to worry about,” said Steven Todd, superintendent, Jefferson-Lewis BOCES.
New York State United Teachers, a union representing more than 600,000 members across the state, applauded 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,” NYSUT said in a statement.
To see the Education Department’s full news release, click here.
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