For the past 2 years, the New York State Regents examination and standardized testing like the SAT and ACT have been impacted by COVID-19. 

In December, it was announced that the English Regents examination will be rescheduled to June 2022. The ACT has become more flexible with testing schedules due to Covid-19. With abnormal conditions, irregular testing is being made to fit the circumstance.  

“Barring any unforeseen changes in the COVID situation […]and more people are potentially vaccinated […] I feel that we will have the Regents in June,” said social studies teacher Jesus Valdes.

In addition to the Regents examination being affected due to COVID , the SAT is going through major modifications in response to the unprecedented circumstances. 

The College Board announced that the SAT will go virtual for international students in 2023 and for students in the U.S. in 2024. The test will be cut shorter from 3 hours to 2 hours. It’ll be easier for students to access due to it being online.  

“[This shift] allows for more efficient testing to get the same assessment of the skills and knowledge,” said College Board vice president Priscilla Rodriguez, in an article on usatoday.com   

Debate of whether students would prefer to take it virtually or in person is a topic of conversation amongst high school students. 

“I would rather take the SAT in person because there can be many distractions at home. For example, distractions can come from the  environment around the home, siblings, or notifications on the computer,” said senior Defne A., via text. 

Test taking isn’t easy, whether it’s online or in person. The NYSED pilot program is still in the works this school year. It offers a different approach in receiving a high school diploma instead of taking the Regents exams and traditional testing. It’s based upon performance based assignments rather than tested in a multiple choice and essay question format. 

“​We have to move away from this idea [that standardized testing is the best way to evaluate students], for example, that there’s just one right answer […] We live in a world where that just doesn’t work anymore. However, what we do in school has to be aligned with the way the world is today, right?,” said New York State Education Chancellor Lester Young, at the NYS Board of Regents meeting in October 2021. 🔳