In January 2021, the State Education Department announced that it would seek a Federal waiver allowing New York State to cancel Regents exams in June and August 2021 because it will not be possible to fairly or equitably administer these tests. The Coalition thanked the Board of Regents and NYSED for this decision and called upon the Board to take additional, immediate action to ensure that no student loses the chance to finish high school due to COVID-19. The recommendations include:

• Immediately extending COVID-19 Regents exam graduation exemptions, even before receiving a determination from the U.S. Education Department about the full cancellation of exams;
• Allowing high schoolers aging out of school this year to return in 2021-22; and
• Supporting schools working to get over-age students to graduation by modifying school accountability metrics to recognize over-age students who graduate.