NYS Board of Regents Meeting Summaries

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Summary of November 2024 Board of Regents Meeting 

The Board of Regents conducted their monthly meeting on Monday, November 4, and Tuesday, November 5, 2024. 

Chancellor Young and Commissioner Rosa opened the meeting by expressing appreciation to the members of the Blue Ribbon Commission on Graduation Measures (BRC) for their efforts over the past few years. 

P-12 related topics covered during the November 2024 meeting that are summarized in this report include: 

• Presentation of BRC Graduation Measures Recommendations 
• Career and Technical Education (CTE) Perkins Grant Update. 
• Amendment Relating to the New Framework for Evaluating Building Principals and Classroom Teachers 
• Discussion of the 2025 – 2026 Board of Regents Budget and Legislative Proposal 

• Graduation Measures Update 

Deputy Commissioner Angelique Johnson-Dingle, along with other NYSED staff members, reviewed the history of the Blue Ribbon Commission’s (BRC) work and outlined the framework for the presentation of the recommendations. They praised the efforts of the BRC members, the 3,300 stakeholders who participated in the Ambassador Forums, and the 2700 individuals who contributed to the Online Thought Exchange which produced over 9000 suggestions to help guide their work. 

The Four Transformations that guided the BRC’s efforts were reviewed. They include: 

1. Adopt a NYS Portrait of a Graduate 
2. Redefine Credits and Learning Experiences 
3. Sunset Diploma Assessment Requirements 
4. Move to One High School Diploma
5. None of the proposed changes included in the BRC recommendations are final until they are officially adopted by the Board of Regents. 
6. Regents exams will continue to be administered and will be offered as an option for students to meet graduation requirements. 
7. All Diploma Seals and Endorsements will continue to be recognized. 
8. It is anticipated that schools will be expected to implement courses relating to Financial Literacy and Climate in the near future. 

The feedback received for each of the Four Transformations was reviewed, which included the perceived challenges and opportunities that stakeholders associated with each of the four goals. 

The proposed timeline for the implementation of the Four Transformations was also presented along with the anticipated fiscal implications. The phase-in plan includes a planning year for the Fall 2024 through Summer 2025, and three distinct phases of implementation that would occur from Fall 2025 through Fall 2029+. 

A framework for how the phase-in will change the diploma requirements for each cohort entering 9th grade through 2029 was also reviewed. 

A few key points of interest made during the presentation included: 

Below you will find a link to the slides used during the presentation. They include a much more detailed summary of the information that was presented and could be very useful to share with your school staff members to assist them with understanding the proposed changes. 

https://www.regents.nysed.gov/sites/regents/files/FB%20Monday%20-%20Graduation%20Measures%20Update.pdf 

• Perkins Grant Updates for 2025 

Deputy Commissioner Johnson-Dingle introduced a discussion on proposed revisions to the federally funded Perkins Grant which supports Career and Technical Education (CTE). 

Assistant Commissioner for the Office of Standards and Instruction, Dr. Santosha Oliver, reviewed key required revisions to the Perkins Grant that will be submitted to the US Department of Education for approval. Dr. Oliver emphasized that special efforts were made to align the proposed revisions with 

the BRC recommendations to ensure that all students have consistent access to CTE courses related to emerging technologies. 

The revised plan now goes out for public comment before being presented to the Board for formal adoption in March 2025. 

Below is the link to the slides used in the presentation. 

https://www.regents.nysed.gov/sites/regents/files/P12%20-%20New%20York%20State%20perkins%20V%20Plan%20Updates%20for%202025.pdf 

• Proposed Amendments Relating to the Evaluation of Building Principals and Classroom Teachers 

This past June, Governor Hochul signed provisions which amend statutes that govern annual teacher and principal evaluations. The Board adopted an emergency rule, related to the new law, that replaces the APPR framework with the Standards Based Educator Evaluation and Professional Support System (NYS-STEPS), 

Key components of the new NYS-STEPS evaluation system include: 

1. Flexibility for local districts to design an evaluation framework for teachers and principals that: 
2. Aligns with the professional standards associated with each role. 
3. Reflects the districts expectations for teaching, learning and school leadership. 
4. Focuses on professional learning and growth. 
5. Providing districts the option of implementing STEPS between the current 2024-25 school year and the beginning of the 2032-2033 school year. 
6. Flexibility for districts to design meaningful evaluation systems with an emphasis on providing feedback and support. 
7. The stipulation that proposed district evaluations plans be submitted to NYSED for review/approval before being implemented. 
8. The stipulation that the 1-4 rating levels that were used with APPR remain in place and be aligned with each standard being evaluated. 
9. The requirement that STEP Plans include a process that ensures all educators are provided with timely, actionable feedback on their practice and differentiated growth opportunities. 
10. Elimination of the mandatory use of overall evaluation ratings as part of tenure determinations and expedited disciplinary proceedings. 
11. The requirement that evaluation plans include the use of multiple measures, at least one of which will be observations for teachers and school visits for principals. 

The amendment now goes out for public comment and it is anticipated that it will be presented for permanent adoption at the March 2025 Board of Regents meeting. 

The link below includes the actual amendment as it was presented to the Board. 

https://www.regents.nysed.gov/sites/regents/files/1124hea1.pdf 

This second link includes the slides that were used during the meeting presentation. 

https://www.regents.nysed.gov/sites/regents/files/1124hea1.pdf 

https://www.regents.nysed.gov/sites/regents/files/HE%20-%20Proposed%20Amendments%20Relating%20to%20the%20Evaluation%20of%20Classroom%20Teachers%20and%20Building%20Principals.pdf 

• Discussion of 2025 Budget and Legislative Initiatives Proposal 

The Board continued discussions on priorities for inclusion in the 2025 Budget proposal. 

The slides in the link below include a summary breakdown of the current budgetary priorities that are under final consideration for the various NYSED agencies/departments. 

The Board will adopt their final proposed budget at the December2024 Board of Regents meeting. 

https://www.regents.nysed.gov/sites/regents/files/SA%20-%20Budget%20and%20Legislative%20Priorities.pdf