New York’s high school Regents exams scheduled for January have been canceled because of the surge in coronavirus cases, the state Education Department said Tuesday.
The move marked the second year in a row that the annual January tests were scrubbed amid a winter wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“New York set a daunting record last week with more COVID-19 cases reported in one day than ever before,” state Education Commissioner Betty Rosa said in a statement.
“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,” Rosa said.
The Education Department said it would ask the state Board of Regents to modify its requirements so students set to graduate next month can still do so without passing the mandatory exams.
In a statement, Regents Chancellor Lester Young Jr. didn’t address that issue but called the decision to cancel the tests “the right one,” citing “the unpredictable nature of the pandemic, the recent acceleration in COVID-19 infections, and continuing upheaval the virus has caused in schools across the state.
“New York’s students will continue to have access to high-quality coursework while allowing districts to prioritize the health and safety of our school communities,” Young added.
Last year, the Regents exams scheduled for June were also canceled because of the pandemic, and students were exempted from having to pass them to graduate.
