The Education Trust–New York issues a statement on New York State Education Department’s Announcement of the Cancellation of January 2022 Regents Examinations  

Dec 21, 2021 | Press Release

The following statement can be attributed to Dia Bryant, executive director of The Education Trust–New York:  

“We appreciate that the New York State Education Department is prioritizing student safety amid the recent spike in COVID-19 cases,” said Dia Bryant, executive director for The Education Trust–New York. “Yet, the cancellation of Regents exams removes one critical way of knowing if our students are college and career ready or if they have made up lost academic ground in the past two years. The continued use of Regents exemptions raises critical equity issues for students, especially high school seniors. We must ensure that there are supports in place for students as they transition into postsecondary opportunities. A March 2021 analysis by The Education Trust–New York found that districts in New York State with the largest shares of students from low-income backgrounds and students of color were more likely to use an exemption to graduate students — signaling that there may continue to be many students who are underprepared for college or the workforce. Given the ongoing nature of pandemic, NYSED should act now to reimagine how to administer these critical examinations.  An overreliance on the use of exemptions is harmful and graduates too many students into uncertainty.”