Coronavirus: Regents exams should not be required this year, school chiefs say
School superintendents from the Lower Hudson Valley have proposed that students not have to take Regents exams to get graduation credit.
They also proposed that most school district budget votes be waived, and that other temporary measures to deal with the coronavirus pandemic be taken.
With schools closed statewide through at least April 14, the state Board of Regents and state Education Department face key questions about the remainder of the school year. Many involve how students and school districts are supposed to meet a range of requirements.
The Lower Hudson Council of School Superintendents offered a series of recommendations to state officials on pressing issues.
"We wanted to share our perspective and recommendations, really just trying to help," said Ossining Superintendent Ray Sanchez, president of the council, which includes school chiefs from Westchester, Rockland, Putnam and Dutchess counties.
Sanchez said he spoke to Interim Education Commissioner Shannon Tahoe, who was receptive to the council's ideas.
The state Board of Regents, which makes statewide education policy, is scheduled to meet Monday by conference call. No agenda was posted as of Thursday afternoon.
The state is still scheduled to offer its Regents exams in June. Right now, students are required to pass at least five Regents exams in certain courses to earn a Regents diploma and at least eight exams to earn a diploma with "advanced designation."
The superintendents council recommended that students who pass a Regents-level course in middle or high school should not have to take a Regents exam in that subject in order to get credit toward a Regents diploma or advance diploma.
They said students instead should be allowed to take a locally designed test.
Advanced Placement tests are administered by the College Board, a nonprofit organization, which plans to offer abbreviated, online tests.
School budget votes were scheduled for May 14 until they were pushed back until after June 1. The superintendents council recommended that districts that propose budgets under their tax caps — the vast majority — should not have to seek voter approval.
In the area of special education, the superintendents asked for additional state guidance on how to reevaluate a student with disabilities when doing so normally involves face-to-face testing. They asked that timelines for reevaluations, used to determine student placements and services, be waived.
The superintendents also recommended:
- Districts be allowed to use financial reserves, up to a certain amount, without an impact on setting or meeting their state-imposed tax cap.
- District costs related to the pandemic should not have tax-cap implications.
- Districts be allowed to use local assessments, instead of state tests, to measure a student's English language proficiency and place them accordingly.
- The state waive, for one year, testing and accountability measures to evaluate schools, including graduation rates for 2019-20, and waive teacher-evaluation regulations.