As New York prepares to phase out Regents exams as a graduation requirement, some students and educators say the tests still play a role in measuring what teenagers know, and what they’re ready for after high school.
Traditional Regents exams – statewide standardized tests in core subjects – have been part of New York’s education system since the 19th century. For decades, passing a set number has been a key step toward earning a high school diploma.
At KIPP Capital High School in Albany, sophomore Abigail Coqmard believes they do serve a purpose.
“I think Regents do help you establish that knowledge for you to be able to move on to the next course in class,” she said.
Still, the tests draw mixed reviews over whether they truly reflect a student’s potential. At KIPP, teachers say they start building test‑taking skills and confidence as early as kindergarten, while trying to keep the focus on overall growth.
“We look at how students are developing the critical thinking skills that they’re going to need to go out into this world,” KIPP Capital Region’s Chief Academic Officer Maisie Wright said.
Even with that preparation, some students say test day can feel like it carries too much weight.
“There are some people who are like, ‘I’m a little nervous,’” Coqmard said.
Senior Lauren Skeete worries most about classmates whose strengths don’t show up easily on standardized exams.
“You just might not be a good test taker,” she said. “I don’t think that should stop you from reaching your future goals and the milestones you’ve been working for four years, just for one test. Especially when in other states it’s not mandatory.”
State education officials plan to begin phasing out Regents as a strict graduation gate by the 2027‑28 school year, giving students more ways to demonstrate readiness through coursework, projects or other measures. The exams themselves, however, are expected to continue in some form.
For Wright, Regents are likely to remain part of how schools track basic academic skills, even as their role changes. She described the exams as one piece of a larger picture.
“Regents are a baseline, and they show whether or not students have a foundation of skills they’ll need when they leave us and go on to do the things we know they’re capable of,” she said. “We don’t teach to the test; we teach through the test.”
As New York rethinks what it takes to graduate, students like Skeete and Coqmard will be among the last classes for whom Regents still carry high stakes, and among the first to navigate what comes next.