NY Regents Scrap Graduation Exam Requirement: ‘You Don’t Assess a Fish on Climbing a Tree’

On Monday, the New York State Board of Regents directed the state Department of Education to make all Regents exams optional and to develop alternative graduation requirements. Board of Regents member Felicia Thomas-Williams has said she's heard some troubling things about the board "dumbing down" the state's graduation requirements, but she insists that scrapping the exams does the opposite and allows students to showcase their strengths. "You don't assess a fish on climbing a tree because fish can't climb trees," she explained.

New York Regents member Felicia Thomas-Williams on why she thinks students shouldn’t have to take Regents exams to graduate:

“You don’t assess a fish on climbing a tree because fish can’t climb trees”

Maybe asking a student to read or do math on a test is a little more… https://t.co/vfDFZPMBfX pic.twitter.com/FV8mVDjFSa
— Neetu Arnold (@neetu_arnold) September 15, 2026

The post continues:

… reasonable than asking a fish to climb a tree? 🤔

Since New York doesn’t require school teachers to be literate why should their students be held to a higher standard? pic.twitter.com/NU5BUykMDt
— David A. Oliver (@DavidAOliverJr) September 15, 2026

"… after the test became controversial because black and Hispanic candidates passed it at significantly lower rates than white candidates."

The New York Post reports:

New York’s education policy-making board passed a resolution Monday phasing out the requirement that students pass a series of Regents exams to earn a high school diploma.
Current 12th graders will be the last graduating class required to pass at least four Regents exams in math, English, science and Global Studies.
Students on track to graduate in 2028 will no longer be required to pass the exams to finish high school, but they will still take them.
…
Education officials are calling the new graduation requirements “NY Inspires”.
“NY Inspires is fundamentally about strengthening teaching and learning and creating deeper, more meaningful educational experiences for every student. By maintaining rigorous standards while giving students more opportunities to apply their knowledge, think critically, solve problems, and demonstrate what they know and can do, we are better preparing them for college, careers, civic life, and the future,” said state Education Commissioner Betty Rosa.