Tuesday, September 22, 2026, 1 p.m. (New York City time), 250 Broadway - 8th Floor - Hearing Room 1
Committee: Committee on Education
The Committee on Education, chaired by Council Member Eric Dinowitz, held an oversight hearing on the implementation of New York State's Portrait of a Graduate and the NY Inspires initiative, which decouples Regents exams from graduation requirements beginning with the 2027-28 school year. First Deputy Chancellor Daniel and other NYC Public Schools officials testified about planning to date, including superintendent and principal trainings, the K-12 personal finance requirement rollout, work-based learning programs, and existing performance-based assessment models. Council members pressed the administration on maintaining rigor and standardized rubrics, unclear guidance to schools, communication with families, professional development funding, and scale across the nation's largest district. No legislation was voted on. Extensive public testimony followed, largely from students and education organizations, most of it supportive of the transition and urging that journalism, arts, community schools, and existing networks be built into implementation, with a smaller number of speakers opposing the elimination of Regents or urging a delay.
0:02 You see what you know, we're
0:02 not allowed to start, just
0:04 like open meetings laws.
0:07 Good afternoon, everyone and
0:08 welcome to today's New York
0:09 City Council hearing for the
0:12 committee on education, if you
0:13 would like to testify. You
0:14 must allow a witness slip with
0:15 one of the sergeant arms, even
0:17 if you signs up already onlin
0:19 e, just a reminder there is no
0:22 food or beverages allowed I
0:23 nthis room and please turn off
0:26 electronic devices chair. W
0:26 eare ready to begin. Just I
0:31 know we haven't started for
0:33 the record, um, she's my twin
0:35 sister. We look identical,
0:38 clint, but then it's fine,
0:39 it's fine, thank you. Um oi.
0:46 Eh
0:47 , ? Good afternoon, everyone
0:47 .I'm Council Member Eric
0:49 benowitz, former public school
0:51 teacher and students and proud
0:52 of the committee on education
0:54 .welcome to today's oversight
0:56 hearing on porch of a graduat
0:59 e, I firmly believe the most
1:01 important element of a school
1:03 system is a basic question
1:04 that we talk about with our
1:06 students. How do you know
1:07 you're doing a good job. We
1:11 have measures of assessment,
1:12 and I see time and again that
1:15 whatever gets assessed, gets
1:17 the investments, whatever your
1:19 incentivized to do, you will
1:22 do, but what gets measured,
1:23 the region's exams yet and my
1:26 time as a high school special
1:27 education teacher here in our
1:29 great City. It quickly became
1:31 painfully clear that the
1:33 regents exam. The measure of
1:34 whether or not, a student
1:38 graduates.
1:38 Never actually measured what
1:39 we want our students to do and
1:41 who we want them to be exams
1:44 that don't actually require
1:46 you to read a whole book
1:48 global sittings exams and
1:49 don't ask our students to
1:50 conduct their own research and
1:53 independently find multiple
1:54 sources to support or refute
1:57 or claim the list goes on and
1:57 on and to make matters worse
1:59 ,they aren't always rigorous,
2:03 just sometimes convolud hteere
2:04 in the City we consider 6
2:06 5passing. Yet the algebra
2:08 regions requires a students to
2:10 earn 35% of the points to get
2:11 a passing score. In other
2:15 words, you can get half the
2:16 multiple choice questions
2:17 right? None of the short
2:18 answer right? And still walk
2:20 away with a 62, very close t
2:23 opassing, but hardly a measure
2:24 whether a student deeply
2:25 understands the material.
2:29 Seven years ago, the board of
2:30 regents in the New York state
2:31 department of education or
2:32 nice id announced a
2:34 comprehensive review of the
2:35 state's high school diploma
2:39 requirements. The review
2:39 concluded that the state's
2:40 graduation measures were not
2:41 serving all students well and
2:43 in particular, we're not
2:44 serving students of color
2:46 students of disabilities
2:48 english language learners and
2:49 students from low income
2:54 households
2:54 . I will add that the
2:55 graduation requirements. Don't
2:56 even ask. We want our students
2:57 to do and be that same
3:00 questions. Students who engage
3:02 in rigorous educational
3:03 experience and use their
3:04 skills to better their
3:07 communities and all the
3:08 elements that we see in the
3:08 schools from journalism t
3:12 omusic and arts photography t
3:15 odebate team, the debate tea
3:15 min math clubs, things that we
3:19 know involve rigorous
3:20 education, community
3:21 mindedness, civic engagement.
3:24 They're not meaningfully
3:25 measured by the department,
3:26 yet they are the things we are
3:27 most proud of in our school
3:30 system and when I come visit a
3:31 school. It's what the teachers
3:33 and the principals are most
3:35 proud to share
3:38 . And the years have followed
3:39 nice. Its decision, they
3:40 gathered stakeholder input
3:42 convened a blue ribbon
3:43 commission on graduation
3:44 measures in 20 22 and receive
3:47 the commission's
3:48 recommendations in of 23 I
3:52 njuly 2025, the border regions
3:52 adopted the portrait of a
3:54 graduate or portrait, a
3:55 framework describing what
3:57 every public school students
3:57 should know, be able to do and
4:00 embodied by the time they
4:01 finish high school
4:04 . The aim is a system in which
4:05 students can demonstrate
4:06 proficiency in more than one
4:08 way through options and meet
4:09 the needs of all learners
4:11 under the portrait of New York
4:13 City graduate will expect t
4:14 obe one academically prepared
4:17 to a creative innovator. Three
4:19 critical thinker for a
4:21 neffective communicator five a
4:22 global citizen and six
4:24 reflective and future focused
4:27 just one week ago on September
4:29 14, the board of regents
4:30 authorize nicer to mov
4:31 eforward with the remaining
4:32 pieces of this transition
4:34 beginning in the 27 28 schoo
4:38 lyear
4:38 . Suit is graduating in 27 28
4:39 school year or later we'll
4:40 learn a single New York state
4:42 diploma without separat
4:43 ediploma assessment
4:46 requirements. That means
4:47 today's high school seniors at
4:48 the last class who will have
4:49 to pass the regents exam in
4:51 order to graduate. I see no
4:53 one upset by this.
4:55 Regents exams or not
4:59 disappearing completely nice.
4:59 It has said the exams will
5:00 remain as measures of
5:02 achievement in state learnings
5:03 of state learning standards
5:04 and state assessments will
5:05 continue to be administered to
5:08 satisfy federal requirements
5:08 under every student succeeds
5:11 act. What he's ending is the
5:12 requirement that student
5:13 spassed them to earn a diploma
5:15 in its place districts will be
5:18 expected to assess students,
5:20 according to local developed
5:24 strategies
5:24 . This shift puts a great dea
5:25 lof weight on the New York City
5:26 department of education nice
5:28 its own transformation
5:29 timeline schedules the release
5:30 of portrait, rubiks and
5:31 guidance for this school year
5:32 and nice it had has committed
5:35 to releasing additional
5:37 implementation guidance by
5:37 summer 20 27
5:40 . Regulatory amendments to
5:42 part 100 of the commissioner's
5:44 regulations are not scheduled
5:44 to reach the board as a
5:46 discussion item until of 27
5:49 with adoption anticipated in
5:50 of 27. As of last week,
5:52 advocates were telling the
5:53 regions that schools still do
5:55 not know how they will measure
5:57 measure proficiency for
5:59 students currently in grades
6:00 nine through 11 students will
6:01 be affected in less than a
6:05 year.
6:05 Implementing this vision
6:06 across the nation's largest
6:07 school district will be an
6:09 enormous undertaking, and New
6:10 York City will be doing it on
6:12 a timeline the state has not
6:13 fully at to find in chamber
6:17 schancellor samuels signal that
6:19 the deal plans to ramp up its
6:22 work on porch in restructured
6:24 his cabinet to create a senior
6:26 position supervising high
6:27 school leadership at vision
6:30 was filled by dr alan chang,
6:31 who previously oversaw outward
6:33 bound schools, the
6:35 internationals network serving
6:36 newcomer remember immigrant
6:37 students and New York
6:39 performance standards
6:40 consortium schools a portfolio
6:41 that includes some of New York
6:42 models beyond that appointment
6:49 the has not publicly announced
6:50 an implementation plan
6:52 professional development
6:54 program or guidance to schools
6:55 on the portrait. So today we
6:58 will ask how is the City
6:59 preparing to implement the
7:00 portrait framework across New
7:02 York City public schools. What
7:03 is being done now for student
7:05 sin grades nine through 11 an
7:08 dbeyond
7:09 . Now who will graduate under
7:10 the New system are you
7:11 expanding work base learning
7:13 and other performance based
7:14 opportunities in the meantime,
7:17 what are you learning fro
7:17 mconsortium schools, which have
7:18 assessed students this way for
7:22 decades.
7:22 And how are you coordinating
7:23 with nice it on these issues,
7:27 the portrait has the ability
7:29 to radically transform our
7:30 school system in a way that
7:34 will finally allow our schools
7:35 to fully invest in programs
7:36 that we know actually benefit
7:39 students and allow our
7:40 students to display their vast
7:42 knowledge and skills and ways
7:44 unconstrained by poorly
7:46 written or poorly graded
7:49 regents exams
7:49 . I do, however, fear the
7:52 portrait runs the risk of
7:54 removing all rigor from our
7:57 school system by doing what we
7:58 so often do in the we turn a
8:02 well meaning policy into a
8:04 compliance checklist and allow
8:07 the dui pressures to improve
8:09 graduation rates and credit a
8:13 cruel at the expense of
8:16 quality education, the future
8:17 of our school system and
8:18 therefore our City.
8:20 Rests on our ability to
8:22 properly implement this
8:23 directive, I look forward to
8:26 today's important hearing. I
8:26 also want to say I want t
8:27 othank the members of the
8:29 education committee who have
8:30 joined us today, including
8:32 council delarosa Gutiérrez
8:36 ,Louis Narcisse, Lee wang and
8:40 Joseph and on zoom. We have
8:42 counted for and swing. What
8:45 else like to think my chief of
8:46 staff john a. Klaus my
8:47 legislative and budget
8:48 director thea salter and the
8:50 education committee staff
8:52 ,including senior legislative
8:56 council alejandro carver hall
8:57 senior legislative policy
8:58 analyst chlo rivera, a
9:02 legislative policy analyst
9:06 katie selena,
9:06 principal financial analyst
9:07 angeline lawless and financial
9:08 analyst grace amato for their
9:10 work on today's hearing, I
9:13 would like to remind everyone
9:14 who wishes to testify in
9:14 person today that you must
9:16 fill out a witness slip, which
9:17 you can find on the desk of
9:19 the sergeant at arms near the
9:20 entrance of this room, please
9:23 fill out to slip even if you
9:24 have already registered
9:24 advance that you will be
9:25 testifying in person today. I
9:28 also want to point out that we
9:29 will not be voting on
9:31 legislation today to allow a
9:32 smany people as possible t
9:34 otestify. Testimony will be
9:35 limited to two minutes per
9:38 person, whether you are
9:39 testifying in person or on
9:42 zoom. I am also going to ask
9:42 my colleagues to limit their
9:43 questions and comments to five
9:45 minutes. Please note that
9:47 generally witnesses who are
9:48 here in person will testify
9:50 before those who are here on
9:51 the zoom webinar as a reminder
9:55 to all of our witnesses,
9:57 please state your name prior
9:58 to your testimony for the
10:01 record if anyone here require
10:02 san accessible version of a
10:04 presentation given that
10:05 today's hearing, please email
10:07 testimony at council dot dot
10:09 gov dot gov now in according
10:12 to the rules of the council. I
10:15 will administer the
10:15 affirmation to the witnesses
10:17 from the mayoral
10:20 administration. I will call in
10:21 each of you individually for
10:22 your response. Please raise
10:22 your right hands. Do you
10:25 affirm to tell the truth, the
10:28 whole truth and nothing but
10:29 the truth before these
10:29 committees and to respond
10:31 honestly to Council Member
10:35 questions. Let the record show
10:36 , they all said yes. Thank you
10:38 . Thank you. Thank you and you
10:40 begin your testimony. Thank
10:46 you so much. Ah, good
10:48 afternoon chaired inuits,
10:49 members of the committee
10:51 . And distinguished members of
10:52 City Council. My name is
10:54 daniel. I'm the first deputy
10:56 chancellor of New York City
10:59 public schools. I'm joined
11:00 today by my colleagues, dr
11:03 allen chang, supervising
11:04 superintendent of high schools
11:04 and districts 79 jane martinez
11:08 dowling, chief of student
11:11 pathways. Cordelia! Viva,
11:12 chief of curriculum and
11:16 instruction katy hansen,
11:17 executive director of academic
11:18 policy and systems, sharon
11:23 wrencher, senior executive
11:23 director of state and federal
11:26 education policy and planning
11:28 ,and michael prayer are
11:30 superintendent of brooklyn
11:30 south high schools
11:34 . Thank you for the
11:34 opportunity to talk about the
11:35 implementation of New York
11:36 inspires and New York state's
11:38 portrait of a graduate
11:41 framework.
11:42 This statewide effort
11:42 started back in 20 19 with the
11:44 New York state blue ribbon
11:46 commission on graduation
11:48 member a, which brought
11:50 together educators, students,
11:52 families, higher education
11:56 leaders, employers, community
11:57 representatives to examine
11:58 whether New York state's
12:00 graduation system was
12:01 preparing students for success
12:02 and a rapidly, rapidly
12:03 changing world. The.
12:05 Resulting recommendations
12:06 laid the foundation for New
12:07 York inspires and portrait of
12:11 a graduate
12:11 . New york's work is part of a
12:12 growing national movement with
12:13 more than 20 states across the
12:16 country reexamining graduation
12:17 requirements, the better align
12:18 with the knowledge skills and
12:21 experiences students need for
12:22 college careers and civic life
12:25 while approaches vary by state
12:26 , a common theme has emerged,
12:30 maintaining rigorous academic
12:31 expectations while creating
12:32 more opportunities for
12:34 students to demonstrate
12:35 learning through authentic
12:37 real world experiences and
12:38 multiple measures of readiness
12:42 . New York inspires New York
12:42 state a statewide effort
12:45 invites us to rethink what it
12:46 means for a student to
12:48 graduate from high school
12:50 prepared for college career
12:50 and civic life.
12:53 We at New York City public
12:54 schools are embracing this
12:55 opportunity to actualize the
12:56 Mayor and chancellors vision
12:57 for how New York City public
12:59 schools confessed, serve New
13:02 yorkers in our schools. We
13:03 believe this work is
13:04 ultimately about a simple but
13:06 important question.
13:06 What should every student no
13:07 be able to do and be prepared
13:09 for when they leave schools
13:13 . The world our students are
13:14 entering is changing rapidly
13:16 . Advances in technology, no
13:18 economic demands an evolving
13:20 career pathways require
13:20 students to possess not only
13:21 strong academic knowledge, but
13:25 also the ability to think
13:27 critically communicate
13:29 effectively, solve complex
13:30 problems work collaboratively
13:32 and adapt to change. These are
13:34 not New aspirations they are
13:36 skills that families,
13:38 employers, colleges and
13:39 educators have long valued.