The State Education Department announced on April 7 that students affected by the cancellation of the June Regents exams will be able to graduate without making them up.

To qualify for the exemption from passing the Regents in order to receive a diploma, high school students must meet one of the following eligibility requirements:

• The student is currently enrolled in a course of study culminating in a Regents Examination and will have earned credit in such course of study by the end of the 2019-20 school year; 
• The student is currently enrolled in a course of study culminating in a Regents Examination and has failed to earn credit by the end of the school year. Such student returns for summer instruction to make up the failed course credit and is subsequently granted diploma credit in August 2020; or 
• The student was previously enrolled in the course of study leading to a Regents Examination, has achieved course credit and has not yet passed the associated Regents Examination but was intending to take the test in June 2020 to achieve a passing score. 

The State Education Department's April 7 guidance also provides information on:

• +1 Pathway Assessments;
• Languages Other Than English Checkpoint B exams;
• Career Development and Occupational Studies Commencement Credential and +1 Pathway;
• Use of safety nets for students with disabilities;
• Diploma endorsements including Honors, Mastery and CTE Technical Endorsement;
• School accountability determinations

The State Education Department previously issued guidance on March 13 that outlined the requirements for granting diploma credit for courses interrupted by the school closures.

This helpful FAQ documentwill be updated regularly on the Department’s dedicated COVID-19 information website.

The UFT is looking into the implications of this guidance for students pursuing career and technical certifications, advanced Regents diplomas and other special projects. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the UFT's High School Division at teamhighschool [at] uft [dot] org (teamhighschool[at]uft[dot]org).