SED to reinstate January 2012 Regents Exams

New York City mayor and school chancellor raise money needed to restore January Regents exams statewide

Aug. 4, 2011

The January Regents exams—previously eliminated because of state budget cuts—are back on!

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott secured $1.5 million in private funding that will allow students across the state to take New York State Regents Exams in January 2012.

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) issued a memo late Wednesday afternoon confirming that the January exams will again take place. The memo states: “We are grateful for this financial support that will provide many students the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities in a variety of subjects and allow many to graduate from high school. NYSED will be accepting this funding and we will be restoring the January 2012 Regents Exams.”

In June, NYSED announced that it would not offer the January exams for high school students beginning in 2012, after the Board of Regents voted to eliminate the tests due to budget cuts. According to the Aug. 3 memo, the Regents exams will be administered Tuesday, January 24 through Friday, January 27, 2012.

The school district calendar, which is in the process of being printed, does not include these January 2012 Regent exam testing dates. Information about which Regents exams will be offered and a more detailed schedule will be posted to Watervliet Junior-Senior High School's web page as it become available. Information will also be sent via SNN closer to the testing dates.

Classes at the Watervliet Junior-Senior High School are not affected by the January Regents exam schedule; all students are expected to attend school on those days.