It’s Monday in Monticello – time for Superintendent Dr. Matt Evans’ weekly update to the community!
In this episode, Superintendent Evans explains New York State’s NY Inspires initiative, changes to high school graduation requirements and what they mean for students in the Monticello Central School District.
In this video, he discusses how Monticello is preparing for these changes and supporting students as they plan for graduation and their next steps.
Also – a hearty congratulations to Karen Ferentinos and Jami Welch, who will be recognized by the Sullivan County School Boards Association tonight as an Outstanding Educator, and Outstanding District Employee, respectively.
Plus, some calendar reminders:
- Emma C. Chase Elementary School’s Open House will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 6 at 6 p.m.
- Monticello High School will host its College Night on Thursday, Oct. 8
- The district will be closed on Monday, Oct. 12 in observance of Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Video Transcript:
Hi, I’m Matt Evans, superintendent of the Monticello Central School District, and thank you for joining me for the October 5th, 2026 edition of its Monday in Monticello.
First, congratulations to two of our staff members who will be recognized tonight by the Sullivan County School Boards Association. Karen Ferentinos, longtime teacher at Cooke Elementary School, will be recognized as an outstanding educator, and Jami Welch, who is a secretary in our athletics department, will be recognized as an outstanding district employee.
Congratulations, Karen and Jamie.
Well done, and you’ve deserve this.
And now for some calendar updates.
The Chase Elementary School will be holding its annual open house tomorrow night, that’s Tuesday, October 6th, at 6 p.m.
Monticello High School will be holding its college night this Thursday, October 8th.
And a reminder that all Monttoello schools will be closed next Monday, October 12th, in observance of Columbus Day and Indigenous People’s Day.
Now, as many of you have heard, the New York State Education Department and Board of Regents are enacting several significant changes to graduation requirements for public high school students in New York State, better known as the New York Inspires initiative.
The state education department and board of regents are enacting four significant transformations to how uh schools in New York State not only design their curricula but also establish requirements for their students to graduate high school.
I’ve boiled it down into some really key indicators, or, next steps if you will for what it means at the local level for our high school. First, beginning in the 27-28 school year, only one New York high school diploma will be offered with students being able to pursue multiple seals and endorsements. So, no longer will there will there be a local regions or advanced regions diploma. Instead, there will be one high school diploma and students can achieve different seals and endorsements like the seal of biliteracy, the seal of civic readiness, the arts pathway, career and technical education endorsements, and other endorsements.
Also, that same school year and beginning in January 2028, New York public high school students will no longer be required by the state education department to pass five Regents exams to graduate high school.
So presently, high school students are required to pass a Regents exam in math, science, English language arts, and two in social studies in high school to graduate. They may alternate some of those, or a 4 plus one formula, if you will, and there are also safety nets.
Well, beginning January 28,the state education department is no longer requiring that of graduates. However, school districts can uh enact their own local requirements and consider Regents as a requirement to graduate, and the Regents exams will still be optional.
And then beginning in the 29-30 school year, New York public high school students will no longer be required by state education department regulations to accrue 22.5 credits to graduate.
Instead, uh they will be required to meet the state education department’s competency-based requirements to graduate high school. Now, we don’t know yet what those competency-based requirements are, and the state education department has work to do here, and they will be sending out more information to the field as it becomes available.
But between now and 29-30, students still have to accumulate those 22 and a half credits, but beginning that school year, it will be a whole new ball game as it relates to what students are required to accrue to graduate high school.
Now, as was mentioned earlier, beginning January 28, Regents exams will be optional. However, at this time, we are encouraging all of our high school students to take and do their best on their Regents exams.
Sometime in that school year or before that school year, the state education department will develop three new state assessments for high school students in English language arts, mathematics, and science.
Now, all high school students beginning that year — we think 27-28 — they’ll be required to take those exams. However, they are not required to pass those exams in order to graduate.
So presently the New York State Education Department uses a math Regents, ELA Regents and Science regents for federal school accountability purposes.
Since those Regents tests will become optional, the state education department has decided to create three new assessments very similar to the 3-8 assessments that high school students will be required to take.
They will be measured for proficiency, and schools will be held accountable on those student outcomes. However, they are not requirements to graduate high school. More to come on that.
Now, in terms of what we’re doing locally for our next steps, well, first and foremost, we’re going to establish a stakeholder working group that will align the New York State Education Department’s Portrait of a Graduate with our Blueprint for Excellence.
That work group will also be discussing and ultimately determining graduation pathway options for Monticello High School students so they can learn, engage, and succeed in life.
One of the key questions there will be, obviously, is “will we be requiring our high school students to take and pass Regents exams in order to graduate high school?” “What might be some alternative assessment options for our students?” and other questions that will arise as a district.
We’ll also be gathering feedback from all of our stakeholders on these changes for graduation requirements. Stay tuned for surveys coming up in the upcoming school year, where we’ll be asking for your feedback on “What do we expect of our students to graduate high school?”
And finally, but perhaps most importantly, we will be providing professional development and curricular development for our administrators and faculty on New York Inspires and other new graduation pathway opportunities and also information and resources to our students and families on these changes in the upcoming year, or years, I should say.
Now, if you have questions and you’re seeking more information, please go to the New York Inspires website at www.nycedd.gov/ny-inspires.
Like many of you, we know there are a lot of questions out there. However, we also know that there are some terrific opportunities uh to make changes to what we expect and require of our high school students to graduate high school. The state education department has been, and will continue to, put out information, and we’ll continue to get that information out to you, our community, and make adjustments accordingly.
That’s it for this week. Thank you for your attention and I hope everyone is enjoying this terrific fall weather.
Stay well everyone. With Monti Pride, I’m Matt Evans.