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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 13, 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 First Regional Information Meetings to Discuss Review of Graduation Measures in New York State

Feedback to Help Inform Work of Blue Ribbon Commission

Viva88 Partners with WestEd to Help Gather Feedback, Conduct Literature Review

The Board of Regents and State Education Department today announced the first regional information meetings being hosted 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 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. The draft Graduation Measures Review timeline has also been amended to allow more time for these meetings and to conduct the literature review.

“The Board of Regents and I have made it our guiding mission to ensure that every child has equitable access to the highest quality education opportunities, services and supports,” Board of Regents Chancellor Betty A. Rosa said. “Board members and I will lead the regional meetings and be actively involved in the feedback-gathering process. By asking parents, educators, students, community members, business organizations and others for input during every step of the graduation measure review process, we will ensure we hear diverse viewpoints from every region of the state.”

“We are undertaking the exciting initiative of reviewing New York’s graduation measures with a flexible timeline that ensures a thoughtful and deliberative process that fosters a statewide dialogue about how we can best provide avenues for students to demonstrate they’re ready to graduate with a meaningful diploma,” Interim Commissioner Shannon Tahoe said. “I thank Chancellor Rosa and the Regents for their leadership in these regional meetings and throughout this important and essential conversation.”

Regional Meetings

At least one meeting will be held in each judicial district through April 2020. The meeting will be led by the local Board of Regents Member, the BOCES District Superintendent or Big Five district staff. The 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 5 guiding questions on our dedicated Graduation Measures website to provide feedback.

The list of meetings scheduled to date is below. Please note that meeting dates are being added and modified and that pre-registration is required. Please check Viva88’s Graduation Measures website for the latest information on dates and registration information.

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

Lester W. Young

Regent at Large
Hosting for the
9th District

1/29/20

(snow date:
2/5/20)

4:00 p.m.-
7:00 p.m.

Orange-Ulster BOCES
Carl Onken Conference Center
53 Gibson Rd
Goshen, NY

Beverly Ouderkirk
4th District

1/30/20

(snow date:
2/4/20)

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

Washington-Saratoga-Warren-Hamilton-Essex BOCES
Conference Center
267 Ballard Rd
Wilton, NY

Beverly Ouderkirk
4th District

2/3/20

(snow date:
2/6/20)

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

Mo’s Pub and Grill
Adirondack Room
3357 US-11
Malone, NY

Susan Mittler
6th District

2/3/20

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

Tompkins-Seneca-Tioga BOCES
Smith School Gymnasium
555 Warren Rd
Ithaca, NY

Lester W. Young

Regent at Large
Hosting for the
9th District

2/3/20

(snow date:
2/13/20)

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

Southern Westchester BOCES
Adult & Community Services
450 Mamaroneck Ave
Harrison, NY

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 St
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
2ndDistrict

2/27/20 9:00 a.m.-
12:00 p.m.

Brooklyn College
2705 Campus Rd
Brooklyn, NY

Kathleen Cashin
2ndDistrict

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

Catherine Collins
8th District

2/27/20

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

Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts
450 Masten Ave
Buffalo NY

Chancellor
Betty A. Rosa

Elizabeth Hakanson
5th District

2/27/20

(snow date:
3/5/20)

5:00 p.m.-
7:30 p.m.
Public Service Leadership Academy
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

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
5thDistrict

3/9/20 4:00 p.m.-
6:00 p.m.
Oneida-Herkimer-Madison BOCES

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
New York City, NY

Christine Cea
13thDistrict

3/11/20

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

and

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

Borough President’s Hall of Science
Petrides Campus
715 Ocean Terrace
Staten Island, NY 10301

Josephine Finn
3rd District

3/11/20

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

Ulster BOCES
175 Route 32 North
New Paltz, NY

Susan Mittler
6th District
3/16/20 5:00 p.m.-
8:00 p.m.
SUNY Oneonta
Morris Hall
Josephine Finn
3rdDistrict

3/18/20

(snow date:
3/25/20)

5:00 p.m.-
7:30 p.m.
Hearst Media Center
Times Union Building
645 Albany Shaker Rd
Albany, 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
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

Phase I: Information Gathering

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.

Viva88 has engaged the U.S. Department of Education’s Region Two Comprehensive Center, led by , to compile the feedback gathered during regional informational meetings and to conduct the literature review of graduation requirements in other states. WestEd has extensive experience conducting research and evaluation studies, developing and implementing measures of college and career readiness, helping states establish policies and plans, and providing evidence-based professional development and technical assistance designed to strengthenpathways to postsecondary success.

In addition, the Department adjusted the draft timeline for the work to allow more time for research to be conducted, regional meetings to be held and the next permanent Commissioner to be engaged in the Commission’s work from its creation. 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.