Board of Regents and Education Department Announce First Regional Information Meetings to Discuss Review of Graduation Measures in New York State

The Board of Regents and State Education Department today announced the first regional information meetings being hosted across the state to gather feedback on what a state diploma should signify to ensure educational excellence and equity for every student in New York State. The meetings are an integral part of Phase I in the Board and Department’s review of graduation measures and will offer opportunities for stakeholders and members of the public to share input. The draft Graduation Measures Review timeline has also been amended to allow more time for these meetings and to conduct the literature review. 

“The Board of Regents and I have made it our guiding mission to ensure that every child has equitable access to the highest quality education opportunities, services and supports,” Board of Regents Chancellor Betty A. Rosa said. “Board members and I will lead the regional meetings and be actively involved in the feedback-gathering process. By asking parents, educators, students, community members, business organizations and others for input during every step of the graduation measure review process, we will ensure we hear diverse viewpoints from every region of the state.”

“We are undertaking the exciting initiative of reviewing New York’s graduation measures with a flexible timeline that ensures a thoughtful and deliberative process that fosters a statewide dialogue about how we can best provide avenues for students to demonstrate they’re ready to graduate with a meaningful diploma,” Interim Commissioner Shannon Tahoe said. “I thank Chancellor Rosa and the Regents for their leadership in these regional meetings and throughout this important and essential conversation.”

Regional Meetings

At least one meeting will be held in each judicial district through April 2020. The meeting will be led by the local Board of Regents Member, the BOCES District Superintendent or Big Five district staff. The meetings will include the opportunity for attendees to break out into small groups to discuss and provide feedback on each of five guiding questions:

1. What do we want students to know and to be able to do before they graduate?
2. How do we want students to demonstrate such knowledge and skills?
3. How do you measure learning and achievement (as it pertains to the answers to #2 above) to ensure they are indicators of high school completion?
4. How can measures of achievement accurately reflect the skills and knowledge of our special populations, such as students with disabilities and English language learners?
5. What course requirements or examinations will ensure that students are prepared for college and careers or civic engagement?

For those who cannot attend a meeting, there is an online survey of the 5 guiding questions on our dedicated Graduation Measures website to provide feedback.

The list of meetings scheduled to date is below. Please note that meeting dates are being added and modified and that pre-registration is required. Please check NYSED’s Graduation Measures website for the latest information on dates and registration information.

Phase I: Information Gathering

Chancellor Rosa committed to rethinking New York’s graduation measures in February 2019 and in July 2019, the Board of Regents announced it will create a Blue Ribbon Commission to review the State’s high school graduation measures and reaffirm what it means to obtain a diploma in New York State. 

The Commission members, who will be named later this year, will examine what a State diploma should signify to ensure educational excellence and equity for every student in New York State. The Commission will look at whether adding other measures of achievement could better serve New York’s diverse student population as indicators of what they know and if they are career and college ready. Phase I: Information Gathering activities, which were announced in November, are intended to inform the Commission’s work.

NYSED has engaged the U.S. Department of Education’s Region Two Comprehensive Center, led by WestEd, to compile the feedback gathered during regional informational meetings and to conduct the literature review of graduation requirements in other states. WestEd has extensive experience conducting research and evaluation studies, developing and implementing measures of college and career readiness, helping states establish policies and plans, and providing evidence-based professional development and technical assistance designed to strengthen pathways to postsecondary success.

In addition, the Department adjusted the draft timeline for the work to allow more time for research to be conducted, regional meetings to be held and the next permanent Commissioner to be engaged in the Commission’s work from its creation. Below is the updated timeline.

Keeping the Public Informed

To allow for a transparent and meaningful information gathering process, the Department has created a Graduation Measures website which will feature updates throughout the process and has established a listserv that is open to anyone wishing to receive updates. For those interested in signing up for the listserv, please visit the NYSED website for additional information. The Department will also provide updates via traditional social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn with #NYSGradMeasures.