On Board Online • June 29, 2026
By Sara Foss
Special Correspondent
Under an ambitious plan unveiled by the State Education Department (SED) at the June Board of Regents meeting, P-12 schools would shift from a system that emphasizes earning credits, passing tests and other traditional, time-based measures of learning to a system where diplomas are awarded based on a student's demonstrated readiness in the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to succeed post-high school.
"This is a plan and the beginning of the next phase of design, not a final regulatory proposal," according to SED.
The call to transform the state's educational system to a new, "competency-based" framework represents the next phase of NY Inspires, SED's multi-year effort to overhaul high school graduation requirements. This effort emphasizes creating multiple pathways to graduation, with Regents exams becoming optional and graduates permitted to demonstrate their skills and knowledge in other ways, such as completing capstone projects.
Last summer, the Board of Regents adopted one of the key elements of NY Inspires, the new Portrait of a Graduate. Under this framework, schools are expected to continue culturally responsive educational approaches and New York's grads will be expected to embody six attributes: academically prepared, creative innovator, critical thinker, effective communicator, global citizen and reflective and future-focused.
SED officials say that the current system is outdated and fails to meet the needs of all students. They say the changes they're making reflect the need to adapt to the demands of the 21st century.
"The structure of our schools has not changed in over 100 years," said Angelique Johnson-Dingle, deputy commissioner for P-12 instructional support. "Students move from class to class on a bell schedule, each class artificially siloed by content area. It is time for us to rethink this factory model and provide districts with the support to transform antiquated structures, reimagine the use of time and space and refocus on deep, authentic, connected learning."
Under the competency-based system being proposed for approval by the Board of Regents, the state would move toward a new statewide transcript that "clearly and comprehensively" reflects student readiness for college, career and civic life, Johnson-Dingle said. "The goal is a diploma that reflects verified, meaningful evidence of readiness, not seat time," she said.
Under the new model of education, students will demonstrate competencies to progress in their schooling, rather than earn credits.
These competencies will be grounded in the state's learning standards and will emphasize knowledge, skills and the attributes of the Portrait of a Graduate.
Schools will also expand student-centered, interdisciplinary and culturally responsive "learning experiences," and students will be able to demonstrate their competencies in multiple ways - performances, portfolios, assessments, presentations, etc.
Such learning experiences would take many forms - labs, seminars, independent studies, internships and more, said Shannon Logan, director of strategic priorities and coordination for SED's Office of Cultural Education.
"What matters is whether the student has genuinely met the established competency expectations," Logan said. "The expectations are not lowered. In many ways, they are possibly more demanding. Demonstrating readiness in the competencies and providing evidence of that readiness will require students to be active participants in their own learning."
"Right now, a diploma largely means that a student completed the required courses and passed the required tests," Logan continued. "That is not nothing, but it is not enough. In this model, the diploma would mean that a student has demonstrated that they are ready - ready for college, ready for a career, ready for civic life, ready to keep learning."
Students will still need to be academically prepared in algebra, civics, science, writing, art and other subjects, said Jeffrey Matteson, senior deputy commissioner for education policy at SED. But colleges, employers and families also want students to develop and possess real-world skills, critical thinking and adaptability, he said.
"Learning isn't linear or tied to a fixed timeline," said Matteson, a former BOCES district superintendent. "Some students need more time. Others move more quickly. The problem is the current system is built on time, not on learning."
Next steps in NY Inspires include SED creating drafts for four critical parts of the plan:
- Descriptions of New York State competencies.
- Rubrics for the competencies.
- Prioritized learning standards.
- A statewide transcript.
There will also be a phased implementation process, and SED officials say they plan to work with educators, students, families, higher education institutions, business leaders and community partners to transition to a new educational system.
Members of the Board of Regents asked questions and made comments that mostly focused on implementation issues, particularly from the perspective of teachers.
"How do we present all of this to our working staff and not overwhelm them and have more teachers quit?" asked Regent Susan Mittler. She said a natural question for a teacher would be: "When do I have time to get to know each student to adjust my teaching and learning to fit their needs?"
Regent Hasoni Pratts called for better communication with school personnel about what the planned changes will involve. "When you tell me that seat time doesn't matter, the teachers are saying to me, 'I don't know what this means, and I don't know how to prepare for it,'" Pratts said. "The presentation today I don't think gave them more clarity on that."
Pratts emphasized the importance of ensuring there is good understanding and widespread support among key educational constituencies. "How do we support teachers?" he asked. "How do we inform parents about what's actually happening? There are a lot of questions that are out there, and I don't think those questions were answered."
Matteson said he doesn't think the current system has served teachers well, either. He said he agreed that "the communication step-by-step has to be top-notch."
"I believe the proposed model will allow educators to reconnect with why they became teachers in the first place," Logan said. "They will be designing exciting, interesting experiences for students, building real relationships with students, fostering creativity and inquiry."
The plan is "not prescriptive," according to slide 20 of a 31-page PowerPoint that SED staff used to brief the Regents. SED intends to provide a "coherent statewide backbone for implementation while allowing adaptation to local context, community priorities and district readiness."
View the PowerPoint at bit.ly/4eT3VLH .