New York’s decision to phase out the requirement that students pass a prescribed set of Regents exams to graduate is only one piece of a much larger transformation of public education now underway across the state.
The initiative, called NY Inspires, is the State Education Department’s multi-year plan to change what a New York high school diploma represents, how students earn academic credit and how schools determine whether students are ready to graduate. The ultimate goal is a competency-based system in which students demonstrate what they know and can do rather than relying primarily on time spent in courses and a prescribed series of standardized exams.
The transition will take years. Some pieces have already been adopted, others have been authorized to move forward, and significant details still require regulations, guidance and further action by the state Board of Regents.
For families trying to understand the changes, the central point is that NY Inspires is much broader than eliminating Regents exams as a graduation requirement.
Where NY Inspires came from
The effort dates to 2019, when the Board of Regents and State Education Department launched what became known as the Graduation Measures Initiative.
The state began examining what a New York diploma should signify and whether the existing system adequately measures whether students are prepared for college, careers and life after high school. A Blue Ribbon Commission on Graduation Measures ultimately presented recommendations in November 2023 following a statewide review involving educators, students, families and other stakeholders.
The Education Department turned that work into NY Inspires in November 2024.
Those changes are intended to work together rather than function as four unrelated policies.
What is the ‘Portrait of a Graduate’?
The first major piece is the New York State Portrait of a Graduate, which the Board of Regents formally adopted in July 2025.
Think of it as the state’s description of what a student should know and be able to do by the time they leave high school.
The framework identifies six attributes: being academically prepared, a creative innovator, a critical thinker, an effective communicator, a global citizen, and reflective and future-focused. The framework is centered on the state’s Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education approach.
Academic knowledge remains central. An “academically prepared” graduate, for example, is expected to demonstrate a strong foundation in New York’s learning standards.
But the framework also calls for students to demonstrate abilities that aren’t easily captured by a traditional multiple-choice or written exam, including solving problems, evaluating evidence, communicating ideas, adapting to new situations, working with different perspectives and setting goals.
The state describes the broader objective as preparing graduates to “learn, grow, create, work, and contribute.”
That doesn’t mean those six attributes immediately become new graduation requirements for every current high school student.
The statewide requirement for instruction to align with the Portrait is scheduled to begin with students entering ninth grade in the 2029-30 school year. Those students would ordinarily graduate in 2033.
The bigger change: Proving what a student knows
Another major component of NY Inspires involves the way academic credit itself is defined.
Under the traditional system, most students earn a credit by successfully completing a “unit of study.” The state’s current framework generally connects that unit to instructional time — typically the equivalent of 108 hours of instruction for one diploma credit.
NY Inspires is intended to shift New York toward a competency-based model, placing greater emphasis on whether a student demonstrates proficiency rather than simply whether the student completed the required amount of instructional time.
The state has identified a range of ways students could potentially demonstrate learning, including traditional courses, approved career and technical education programs, work- or service-based learning, dual-credit programs, arts participation, state seals or credentials and approved assessments such as Regents exams.
The practical details are still being developed. State officials have not simply replaced today’s credit system with a fully defined alternative for every student.
Full implementation of the competency-based graduation system is planned for students entering ninth grade in fall 2029, with specific requirements still forthcoming.
Regents exams aren’t disappearing
The most immediate and visible piece of NY Inspires involves Regents exams.
Under the plan advanced by the Board of Regents this week, students graduating beginning in 2028 will no longer have to pass a prescribed set of Regents exams to earn a diploma.
That does not mean Regents exams are being abolished.
The exams will continue to measure achievement of state learning standards, and New York must continue administering statewide high school assessments to comply with federal accountability requirements. Students may also use Regents exams toward certain seals or endorsements under the evolving system.
The distinction matters: NY Inspires separates the existence of the Regents exams from their traditional role as a diploma gatekeeper.
Schools and districts are also expected to develop assessment strategies that use multiple sources of evidence, which could include classroom assessments, student work, performance-based learning, educator observations and state assessments.
New York is also moving to one diploma
NY Inspires will eventually replace New York’s existing system of local, Regents and Regents with Advanced Designation diplomas with one New York State high school diploma.
That doesn’t mean students will lose the ability to receive recognition for additional accomplishments.
The state plans to use seals and endorsements to distinguish academic achievement and other areas of proficiency. The current Regents with Advanced Designation distinction is expected to become a seal or endorsement rather than a separate diploma.
For students entering ninth grade beginning in 2029, the state also plans to require a statewide transcript as part of the fully implemented system. Those students would be expected to demonstrate proficiency in high school learning standards, state-defined competencies and the Portrait of a Graduate. The specific requirements for doing so have not yet been finalized.
Why the changes won’t happen all at once
The Education Department deliberately divided NY Inspires into phases.
The planning period began in the 2024-25 school year, followed by an installation phase involving development of new credit requirements, standards, guidance and the Portrait of a Graduate.
Initial implementation begins around the 2027-28 school year, when the state plans to move toward one diploma and end Regents passing requirements as a separate condition for graduation.
The final phase begins in fall 2029, when students entering ninth grade would become the first cohort under the fully implemented competency-based system.
That phased schedule means two students attending the same high school in the coming years could face different graduation requirements depending on when they entered ninth grade.
It also means announcements about NY Inspires need to be read carefully. Adoption of the Portrait of a Graduate, authorization to move ahead with one diploma and plans for a competency-based system do not mean every element of the future system is already in effect.
What happens next
The State Education Department is now developing regulations, guidance and implementation support for districts.
Following the Board of Regents’ latest action, the department expects to bring proposed regulatory amendments to the Regents by February 2027 to implement the next set of changes during the 2027-28 school year. State officials also say they will continue working with educators, families, students, school leaders, colleges, employers and other groups as the system is developed.
The most substantial transformation comes later.
If the timeline holds, students entering high school in fall 2029 will be the first class fully educated under a system designed around both traditional academic standards and the broader competencies identified in New York’s Portrait of a Graduate.
For students already in high school, however, the changes will arrive incrementally. The state’s existing requirements remain applicable except as new requirements are formally approved and phased in for specific graduating classes.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to news@fingerlakes1.com.