Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Students Who Graduate in January Can't Get Regents Diploma, State Says

By DNAinfo Staff on January 27, 2011 6:36pm  | Updated on January 28, 2011 10:55am

Schools Chancellor Cathie Black said early Thursday that the decision about rescheduling the Regents tests would be up to the state.
Schools Chancellor Cathie Black said early Thursday that the decision about rescheduling the Regents tests would be up to the state.
View Full Caption
DNAinfo/Jill Colvin

By Jill Colvin and Julie Shapiro

DNAinfo Staff

MANHATTAN — Seniors planning to graduate in January whose scheduled Regents exams were canceled because of the snow will still be allowed to graduate, but won't be awarded a Regents diploma unless they pass the test in June, the State Education Department announced.

The state announced Thursday that they would allow the approximately 500 seniors set to graduate in January who were unable to take Thursday's Regents exams because of snow to graduate with a "local diploma" based on their passing course credits rather than their ability to pass the state tests. The January graduates were among tens of thousands of students whose tests were canceled because of the snow.

The state has a long-standing policy against rescheduling the tests because it would require writing a new version of every re-administered exam, and the next set of exams aren't scheduled until June. The last time exams were canceled in the city was in 2004, City Department of Education spokesman Matt Mittenthal said.

In New York City, all students are usually required to pass at least four out of five of the state-run Regents exams to earn a local diploma, Mittenthal said. But in this case, the state made an exception, the same exception they made in 2004.

"We are pleased the State took this step that will allow those seniors with sufficient credits and coursework to graduate this month," Schools Chancellor Cathie Black said in a statement.

But some parents are up in arms over the fact that students will be forced to graduate with local diplomas, which are typically looked upon less favorably by colleges than Regents Diplomas, some said.

District 3 Community Education Council President Noah Gotbaum, an Upper West Side father and long-time critic of the department, said the difference between the local and Regents Diploma is equivalent to the difference between a "learner's permit and a driver's license." Colleges look much less favorably on a local diploma than a Regents diploma, he said.

"The fact that because of a snow day some students are going to be denied the ability to graduate [with a Regents Diploma] for six months makes no sense whatsoever," he said. "It's not the same thing."

But David Raubvogel, principal of Richard R. Green High School of Teaching on the Upper East Side, said that the distinctions between the diplomas really aren't that significant for student applying to colleges out of state. He added that even at SUNY schools, admissions officers are more concerned about students' GPAs and SAT scores than the state-specific test.

The city is planning to eliminate the local diploma category altogether next year, Mittenthal said.

Either way, State Education Commissioner David Steiner urged affected students to return to school in June to earn their Regents scores even if they aren't required.

"We hold a Regents Diploma as the goal for all; however, this is the fairest course of action for the seniors affected this week," he said in a statement.

Jane Briggs, a spokeswoman for the SED, said that, after making the decision, staff are planning to take a "hard look" at the policy and how to handle cancellations in the future.