Relates to providing students an opportunity to take regents examinations if missed due to school closure

BILL NUMBER:S6730

Title of bill

An act to amend the education law, in relation to providing students an opportunity to take regents examinations if missed due to school closure

Purpose

Relates to providing students an opportunity to take regents examinations if missed due to school closure.

Summary of provision

Section 1 adds a new section 208-b requiring the State to provide alternative regents exam testing days when schools are closed due to emergency school closure. Any school district that is closed due to an emergency during a regents examination period would be required to provide any student qualified to take such exam on the original test date, the opportunity to retest within thirty days from the date of the original examination. The board of regents shall select the date for the regents exam and notify school districts of the make-up date and locations.

For purposes of this section, "emergency" shall be defined as a situation that poses an immediate risk to health, life or property that causes a school district to close.

Section 2 is the effective date.

Justification

New York State requires that students pass five Regents exams to graduate from High School: two in Social Studies and one each in Math, Science and English. To ensure that students have multiple opportunities to take the Regents exams, New York offers them three times a year. The tests are usually given in January, June and August, giving students three opportunities to take the exam. The January test serves many purposes including allowing students to graduate midyear, as well as helping students lighten their heavy exam load in June. If a school is going to be closed due to an emergency at the same time that a regents is scheduled to be given the State should ensure that each student is still given three opportunities to take the exam. Failure to allow this opportunity can lead to a higher rate of dropouts, lower averages; while leaving qualified seniors unable to graduate.

Typically New York State receives a few snow storms each winter. This year some school districts like Eden Central School and Iroquois School District had to cancel classes due to wind chills advisories. Eden Central School District, which canceled classes this winter when some students were scheduled to take Comprehensive English and Living Environment exams, had to close its schools for six consecutive days because of inclement weather. In previous years, school districts were forced to close due to bad weather preventing students from taking their exams and forcing them to wait until June. This lowers the opportunity that students have to pass the exam and increases the anxiety levels for some seniors. Creating make-up days for the regents in the event that an emergency does occur, ensures each student a fair chance at being able to take the Regents exam three times in a year.

Legislative history

None.

Fiscal implication

To Be Determined

Effective date

This act shall take effect immediately.