NY Inspires
NY INSPIRES
New York State is in the midst of a transformative initiative that is, among other elements, altering graduation requirements and the high school experience to place greater emphasis on building knowledge and skills. But while the concepts have been well-publicized, the details of what it would mean and the timeline for its implementation may not be as well-known. Below, learn more about the initiative, what is still unknown, what it will mean in Red Hook and when to expect changes.
All changes to graduation requirements must still be approved by the Board of Regents. Until then, all students should operate as if current requirements remain in place.
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Through NY Inspires, the state is seeking to place greater emphasis on preparation for future success through building knowledge, skills and competencies. Among these changes, the state will:
- Replace the three diploma types with one diploma, with the option to add seals and endorsements.
- Incorporate ethics, cultural competency, financial literacy and career preparation into diploma requirements.
- Allow for students to prove competency in a variety of ways, including through project work and work-based learning, at a school’s discretion with state oversight.
- Sunset a requirement to pass state-administered exams.
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In July 2025, the state adopted its Portrait of a Graduate, a framework that defines essential knowledge, skills, and dispositions students should develop by the time they graduate high school.
The Portrait of a Graduate:
- Articulates a shared vision for student success beyond test scores,
- Centers culturally responsive and inclusive education practices,
- Promotes integrated development of academic, interpersonal, and cognitive skills,
- Guides schools toward real-world, equitable learning experiences.
The Portrait is anchored by six attributes, seen below. At the core of the Portrait is the Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education Framework, an approach that helps schools create learning environments where every child feels seen, valued, and supported.
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The initiative asks, what should every New York graduate know and be able to do, and how should students demonstrate that learning?
Portrait of a Graduate and What it Means at Red Hook
New York has adopted a Portrait of a Graduate, which identifies six areas students should develop. The Portrait is similar to Red Hook’s own Raider Profile, and many of the areas the state is targeting with these changes are already well into development throughout the district at all grade levels.
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For several years, the Red Hook Central School District has been future focused in its approach to education, placing an emphasis on skill building, project-based learning and career preparation in the vein of NY Inspires. However, the details of the initiative are still unknown to schools – for example, while we know students will be able to show competency through project work, the rubrics for evaluating those projects are still to be determined.
While we wait for these elements to be unveiled, Red Hook administration is confident a large swath of educational experiences already offered at the high school, such as International Bacalaureate and dual-enrollment classes, financial literacy education, the seals of civic readiness and biliteracy, and myriad career training courses ranging from materials processing to cybersecurity, already meet the state’s objectives.
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Beginning with the 2026-27 school year, schools will be required to provide personal finance education in three grade bands: K-4, 5-8 and 9-12. Students will be required to take these classes by the end of each grade band. The requirement on the K-4 grade band does not begin until the 2027-28 school year.
In its first year, the classes will only be required for students who are in the first year of a grade band (i.e. grades K, 5 and 9). Students who are already more than a year into their grade band will not be required to take the class until beginning the next grade band.
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The state is taking a phased approach to implementing changes and Board of Regents approval remains to be given. The state is in the first of three planned phases, following a planning year.
Phase 1: Installation (Fall 2025-Summer 2027)
Phase 2: Initial Implementation (Fall 2027-Summer 2029)
Phase 3: Full Implementation and Scaling Up (Fall 2029 and beyond)The state is in the process of defining how to assess performance-based learning and create guidelines for schools to follow. More on this initiative, labeled the PLAN Program, can be found here.
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Red Hook departments in content areas that currently have Regents exam diploma requirements in place have been provided with professional development and working on developing alternative performance-based learning assessments.
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The Red Hook Central School District will continue to keep families aware of the latest updates from the state regarding the NY Inspires initiative through direct ParentSquare messages and broad posts on the district website and social media channels.
Individuals are also invited to send questions directly to the state Education Department at GradMeasures@NYSED.gov
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Are Regents tests going away?
No. Even after the changes begin to be implemented, the Regents tests themselves, and final exams in general, are not going away and teachers are still able to use them as part of their overall assessments. It will also continue to be a federal requirement that schools administer the Regents exams. The only thing that would be going away is the requirement that students pass those specific exams in order to earn a diploma.Have graduation requirements already changed?
No. Existing graduation requirements remain in place for the 2026-27 school year and the Board of Regents still must approve the proposed changes that may go into effect in 2027-28.Will these changes broadly alter the Red Hook experience?
Red Hook will approach the state’s changes thoughtfully and carefully. However, it’s believed that the recomendations to be implemented are in line with Red Hook’s current direction and current classes and requirements will mesh nicely with the state’s changes when they are approved.
