New York State Education Commissioner Betsy Rosa announced on Tuesday that high school regents exams scheduled for January have been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"New York set a daunting record last week with more COVID-19 cases reported in one day than ever before," Commissioner Rosa said. "Once again, the January Regents Exams cannot be safely, equitably, and fairly administered across the state. We will continue to work with our schools, districts, and stakeholders to ensure they have what they need to provide academic, social and emotional, and mental health supports for our students."

Due to the cancellation, the Education Department will ask the Board of Regents to approve modifications to the assessment requirements that students must meet to earn high school diplomas.

The modifications will 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 Examinations.

Rosa says no decisions have been made yet regarding the June and August regents exams or other state assessment programs.

New York State United Teachers issued the following statement regarding the cancellation of the January Regents exams:

“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. We thank Commissioner Rosa, Chancellor Young and the Board of Regents for recognizing that our educators are still assessing their students, preparing them to receive their diplomas and setting them up for success after graduation without this round of state exams.”

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