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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 7, 2020
For More Information Contact:

JP O'Hare

(518) 474-1201

Press@nysed.gov

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

Feedback to Help Inform Work of Blue Ribbon Commission

Meetings Continue Through April

The Board of Regents and State Education Department today announced additional regional information meetings 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 dozens of 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.

“These regional meetings are designed to foster a dialogue so we can consider valuable input from parents, educators, students, school board members, community members, business organizations and anyone else who is invested in the future of our children,” Board of Regents Chancellor Betty A. Rosa said. “We have already seen an incredible turnout at the meetings held so far. Regents members and I look forward to hearing diverse viewpoints from every region of the state and encourage anyone who wants to contribute to this essential conversation to attend a meeting in their area.”

“We want to make sure our students are engaged in school and prepared for the 21st century and that means asking ourselves how we can best provide avenues for students to demonstrate they’re ready to graduate with a meaningful diploma,” Interim Commissioner Shannon Tahoe said. “With more opportunities for students to focus on what interests them, they will be more engaged in school and better positioned in life. I thank Chancellor Rosa and the Regents for their leadership in these regional meetings.”

Regional Meetings

At least one meeting is being held in each judicial district through April. Each meeting will be led by the local Board of Regents Member, the BOCES District Superintendent or Big Five district staff. 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 five guiding questions on our dedicated Graduation Measures website to provide feedback.

The list of meetings scheduled to date is below; recently added or updated meetings are in bold. Please note that meeting dates continue to be added and modified and that pre-registration is required. Please check Viva88’s Graduation Measures website for the latest information on dates and most up-to-date registration information.

Please Note: The regional meetings on Staten Island on March 11, in Rochester on March 11, and in Albany on March 18 have been postponed and will be rescheduled for a later date.

Please Note:The regional meeting in Buffalo has been rescheduled to Monday, March 30 from 5:00-7:30 PM at Stanley Makowski ECC #99. The meeting will be hosted by Regent Collins.

Schedule of Regional Meetings
Regent/ Judicial District Date Time Meeting Site

Wade Norwood

Regent at Large

2/13/20

5:30 p.m.-
8:00 p.m.

Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES
3599 Big Ridge Rd
Spencerport, NY

Satellite Locations:

Genesee Valley Educational Partnership Service Center
80 Munson Street
LeRoy, NY

AND

Wayne-Finger Lakes BOCES Conference Center
131 Drumlin Court
Newark, NY

AND

Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES
1879 West Genesee Street Rd
Auburn, NY

Kathleen Cashin

2nd District

2/26/20

5:30 p.m.-
8:30 p.m.

Ft. Hamilton High School
Cafeteria
8301 Shore Rd
Brooklyn, NY

Kathleen Cashin

2nd District

2/27/20

9:00 a.m.-
12:00 p.m.

Brooklyn College
Student Center
2705 Campus Rd
Brooklyn, NY

Kathleen Cashin

2nd District

Lester W. Young

Regent at Large

2/27/20

5:30 p.m.-
8:30 p.m.

Boys & Girls High School
Cafeteria
1700 Fulton St
Brooklyn, NY

Elizabeth S. Hakanson

5th District

2/27/20

(snow date: 3/5/20)

5:00 p.m.-
7:30 p.m.

Public Service Leadership Academy at Fowler High School
227 Magnolia St
Syracuse NY

Lester W. Young

Regent at Large

Hosting for the

9th District

3/3/20

(snow date: 3/4/20)

6:00 p.m.-
8:30 p.m.

Roosevelt High School
Early College Studies
631 Tuckahoe Rd
Yonkers, NY

Josephine Finn

3rd District

3/4/20

(snow date: 3/11/20)

5:00 p.m.-
7:00 p.m.

Ulster BOCES
Jane Bullowa Conference Center

175 N. Chestnut St
New Paltz, NY

Roger Tilles

10th District

3/4/20

5:00 p.m.-
8:00 p.m.

Eastern Suffolk BOCES
The Instructional Support Center at Sequoya
750 Waverly Ave
Holtsville, NY

Elizabeth S. Hakanson

5th District

3/9/20

4:00 p.m.-
6:30 p.m.

Oneida-Herkimer-Madison BOCES
Howard D. Mettelman Learning Center

4747 Middle Settlement Rd
New Hartford, NY

Judith Chin

11th District

3/10/20

9:00 a.m.-
12:00 p.m.

Helen Marshall Cultural Center
Queens Borough Hall Atrium
120-55 Queens Blvd
Queens NY

Judith Chin

11th District

3/10/20

5:30 p.m.-
8:30 p.m.

York College
94-20 Guy R. Brewer Blvd
Queens, NY

POSTPONED (TO BE RESCHEDULED)

Wade Norwood

7th District

The meeting scheduled for 3/11/20 in Rochester is POSTPONED and will be rescheduled.

POSTPONED (TO BE RESCHEDULED)

POSTPONED (TO BE RESCHEDULED)

POSTPONED (TO BE RESCHEDULED)

Christine Cea

13th District

The meetings scheduled for 3/11/20 on Staten Island are POSTPONED and will be rescheduled.

POSTPONED (TO BE RESCHEDULED)

POSTPONED (TO BE RESCHEDULED)

Chancellor Betty A. Rosa

3/16/20

5:00 p.m.-
8:00 p.m.

SUNY Oneonta
Morris Hall
108 Ravine Parkway
Oneonta, NY

POSTPONED (TO BE RESCHEDULED)

Josephine Finn

3rd District

The meeting scheduled for 3/18/20 in Albany is POSTPONED and will be rescheduled.

POSTPONED (TO BE RESCHEDULED)

POSTPONED (TO BE RESCHEDULED)

Nan Eileen Mead

1st District

3/23/20

9:00 a.m.-
12:00 p.m.

Borough of Manhattan Community College
Richard Harris Terrace
199 Chambers St
New York, NY

Chancellor Betty A. Rosa

3/24/20

9:00 a.m.-
12:00 p.m.

and

5:30 p.m.-
8:30 p.m.

Monroe College
Mintz Auditorium
King Hall

2501 Jerome Ave
Bronx, NY

Roger Tilles

10th District

3/27/20

8:30 a.m.-
11:30 a.m.

Western Suffolk BOCES
31 Lee Ave
Wheatley Heights, NY

Catherine Collins

8thDistrict

3/30/20 5:00 p.m.-
7:30 p.m.
Stanley Makowski ECC #99
1095 Jefferson Ave

Buffalo NY

Catherine Collins

8th District

3/31/20

1:00 p.m-
3:30 p.m.

and

5:30 p.m.-
8:00 p.m.

Erie 1 BOCES
355 Harlem Rd
West Seneca, NY

Nan Eileen Mead

1st District

3/31/20

5:30 p.m.-
8:30 p.m.

Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics
260 Pleasant Ave
New York, NY

Graduation Measures Review Process

Chancellor Rosacommitted to rethinking New York’s graduation measures in February 2019and 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.

As part of Phase I, SED is also conducting a review of research and practices in other states. This information will also help inform the Commission’s work during Phase II, when the Commission meets and develops recommendations to the Board of Regents. Phase III is when the Commission’s work and recommendations are presented to the Board of Regents and the Board will begin its policy discussion.

The updated draft timeline currently anticipates the Commission making recommendations to the Board of Regents in Winter 2022. The adjusted timeline will allow more time for the research to be conducted, for regional meetings to be held and the next permanent Commissioner to be engaged in the Commission’s work from its creation. We are allowing for approximately two years, and this is by design, so ample stakeholder and public feedback can be part of the process. Below is the updated timeline.

Draft Timeline for the Review of Graduation Measures in NYS
Phase I:
Information Gathering & Learning
  • November 2019 to April 2020:
    • Literature review of research and practices in other states. Report to Board in Spring 2020
    • Regional workgroups hold meetings a beginning in January to gather feedback from across the state.
  • Summer 2020: Compile Regional Meeting feedback.
  • Summer 2020: Establish the Blue Ribbon Commission (BRC) and draft meeting schedule.
Phase II:
Blue Ribbon Commission
  • September 2020: Commission’s first meeting – the BRC convenes and defines the scope of its work.
  • October 2020: Blue Ribbon Commission second meeting to identify priority areas and a framework for moving forward. Establish sub-groups for priority areas.
  • November 2020 – February 2021: Sub-groups meet.
  • March 2021 – May 2021: Sub-groups develop proposed recommendations.
  • Summer 2021 – Fall 2021: Sub-groups advance recommendations to the BRC.
  • Fall 2021 – Winter 2022: The BRC finalizes recommendations and a report is prepared.
Phase III:
Regents Discussion
  • Winter 2022: The Blue Ribbon Commission’s final report is presented to the Board of Regents for consideration.

Keeping the Public Informed

To allow for a transparent and meaningful information gathering process, the Department has created aGraduation Measureswebsitewhich 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 Viva88websitefor additional information. The Department will also provide updates via traditional social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn with #NYSGradMeasures.