SARATOGA SPRINGS — June Regents Exams are fast approaching, and for the second year in a row there are new exemption requirements that students and parents should be aware of.
In 2020, New York State received a waiver from the federal government that allowed them to cancel all standardized tests, including the Regents Examinations. The United States Department of Education (USDE) has announced that it will not grant a blanket waiver for 2021 state examinations.
Therefore, the NYS Board of Regents has reduced the June Regents Examination period to include only the four core exams that are required by federal standardized testing law. These exams are: English Language Arts, Living Environment (Biology), Algebra I, and Physical Setting/Earth Science. Regents Exams that were cancelled include: Global History & Geography, U.S. History & Government, Geometry, Algebra II, Chemistry, and Physics. The New York State Education Department (NYSED) will not be administering any Regents Exams in August 2021.
However, students are not required to take any of these four Regents if they are passing the corresponding course; they will receive the “C19EX” designation/exemption on their transcript for that Regents Exam. As per NYSED guidelines, grades on any of the four exams will not factor into a student’s course average, and the tests will not affect graduation requirements. Saratoga Springs City School District stated the following about the new requirements:
“We feel it is important for students to obtain a measure of their learning from their school year and we encourage students to take these exams if they are enrolled in the course. Students will not be penalized for not taking the Regents examination, nor will not taking an exam have an adverse impact on graduation requirements or diploma types.”
Although these specific exemptions are due to current circumstance, New York State had begun an assessment of graduation requirements last year, before the pandemic put it on hold. The discussion is planned to resume this summer.
Exam dates and times are set by the NYSED for all students and there is no online option. The exam schedule for the Saratoga Springs City School District is as follows:
June 17: English Language Arts @ 8 a.m.
June 22: Living Environment (Biology) @ 8 a.m.
June 23: Algebra I @ 8 a.m.
June 24: Physical Setting/Earth Science @ 8 a.m.
Saratoga Springs students who chose to take the exam will have a choice whether to include the score on their transcript. The request for having the numeric Regents score shown on their transcript must be placed in writing to Kathy Hopper at SSHS, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by July 9, 2021.
