State officials mull more flexibility in graduation requirements |
On Board Online Extra • June 3, 2016
By Eric D. Randall, Editor-in-Chief, and Cathy Woodruff, Senior Writer
Should some students be able to graduate this month if they have passed all of their Regents-level courses, even if they did not pass all of the Regents exams currently required for a diploma?
That idea is likely to be considered by the state Board of Regents when the board meets on June 13 and 14.
Regent Roger Tilles of Long Island says changes are needed to ensure high-performing special education students aren't unfairly denied diplomas. He is optimistic that a new approach will be devised in the next two weeks.
"The Regents are working on it, and the commissioner is working diligently on it," Tilles told On Board. "I believe we will be more flexible"
Tilles declined to discuss details of proposals Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia and members of the State Education Department (SED) staff are considering. "Nothing is set in stone," he said.
It is not known how many students would be helped by such a change, statewide. Rockville Centre Superintendent William H. Johnson estimated that, out of about 280 students who could be eligible to graduate from the Nassau County district this year, four or five might benefit from the kind of change Tilles is championing.
Johnson said there is a population of special education students, usually with learning disabilities, who perform well in Regents-level courses but don't score well on state tests. He recommends a system that would enable students to earn points, cumulatively, based on both their Regents exam scores and their course grades.
In 2014, the Regents approved a "4+1" option that permits students to qualify for graduation by passing four Regents exams (or state-approved alternative assessments) and passing a comparably rigorous assessment in a specialized area. In lieu of passing a fifth Regents exam, students can demonstrate achievement in the arts, biliteracy, career and technical education, the humanities or STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).
In January, Elia recommended that the Regents expand academic pathways to graduation to better serve students whose strengths aren't well-suited to the traditional Regents exam-based route to a diploma. She outlined three general possible approaches, including wider windows to appeal exam scores, a new career development pathway, and project-based assessments for some students. No action was taken at that time.
SED officials said graduation requirements remain an area of study. "We continue to explore ways to expand academic pathways to graduation to better serve students of New York," said spokeswoman Jeanne Beattie. "Any proposal will ensure student standards are maintained while recognizing that students excel in a variety of areas."