Dear NYS Principals and Administrators,

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) announced Wednesday that the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) denied New York’s waiver request to cancel state assessments. As previously reported, NYSED has decoupled state assessments from the associated diploma requirements. Students who earned a course credit through coursework are exempt from the associated examination-related diploma requirements, meaning they do not have to take or pass the 4 Regents Examinations being offered.

We will be setting up a meeting with school leaders and NYSED to discuss the ramification of these changes to schools. More information will be shared soon.

Due to the denial, NYSED says the following will occur:

  • It will administer only Session 1 of the grades 3-8 assessments in Mathematics and ELA.
  • It will administer only the written test component of the Grades 4 and 8 Science Tests.
  • Regents Examinations required under ESSA (ELA, Algebra 1, Earth Science and Living Environment Exams) will be given during June 2021.
  • The August 2021 Regents Exams are canceled.
  • The New York State English as a Second Language Achievement Test (NYSESLAT) and New York State Alternate Assessment (NYSAA) are being administered according to the established schedules for those students who are able to safely come into school and take the assessments.
Any results from this year will be used solely as a measure of student learning.

As always, feel free to reach out to [email protected] with any questions.

Sign up for our Whatsapp broadcast list here!

Sign up for our mailing list here!

Rabbi Yehoshua Pinkus
Director of Yeshiva Services

Ami Bazov, Esq.
Coordinator of Education Affairs

Yeshiva Services champions and guides yeshivos and day schools, advocates for resources at all levels of government, educates and guides yeshiva leadership, and defends yeshivos and their unique character under the guidance of Gedolei Yisroel, ensuring the continued growth of Klal Yisroel.