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Sunset Diploma Assessment Requirements

Decoupling Regents Examinations from Graduation Requirements

One of the Blue Ribbon Commission's most closely watched recommendations: reducing and diversifying diploma assessment requirements so that Regents Exams become one valid option among several, rather than a fixed requirement for every student. New York is currently one of a small number of states that requires an exit exam to graduate — this transformation aims to preserve rigor while widening how students can demonstrate it.

 

Why It Matters for Multilingual Learners

This is one of the transformations most directly relevant to MLs/ELLs. Broader assessment options — particularly performance-based and portfolio models — have the potential to reduce the language-load barrier that a single high-stakes exam can create for students still developing academic English. The Commission's own survey found 96% of members rated it high or medium priority that diploma assessment options meet the needs of all learners, including English Language Learners. L.I. RBERN will track guidance closely as it's released and translate it into practical next steps for our districts.

 

What's Changing

  • Diploma assessment options will expand beyond Regents Exams to include performance-based assessments (PBAs), capstone projects, and experiential learning.
  • New assessment options must align with the Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education Framework, allow students to demonstrate competence in multiple ways, assess the attributes in the Portrait of a Graduate, be available to all students, include real-world writing, measure higher-order thinking skills, and meet the needs of all learners — including English Language Learners, students with disabilities, and other underserved populations.
  • A state-developed rubric will be created for any performance-based assessment used to satisfy diploma requirements, developed by convening P-20 teachers and building a curated collection of exemplars — to keep results consistent and rigorous statewide.
  • Exemptions will be available for students with significant cognitive disabilities and for major life events or extenuating circumstances (e.g., medical conditions, death of a family member, trauma before a required exam).

Timeline

Nov 2023: Blue Ribbon Commission recommends reducing and modifying diploma assessment requirements (Recommendations 5, 6, and 8).

Fall 2027- Summer 2029: NYSED's phased rollout begins sunsetting current diploma assessment requirements as new options come online.

Fall 2029- onward  Full-scale implementation, including an updated statewide transcript reflecting the new assessment model.

**The Department has been clear that this initiative is not about eliminating rigor or removing Regents Exams outright — the goal is to widen how proficiency can be demonstrated. In the Commission's own survey, 78% of members rated “modify diploma assessment requirements to allow more assessment options” a high or medium priority.