State testing reminders for spring 2021

Access the survey to participate in a state exam

(see below for additional information)

The City School District of Albany is administering the following state exams this year, in alignment with the requirements of the New York State Education Department:

• ELA and Math for grades 3-8
• Science for grade 4 and grade 8
• Regents
• New York State English as a Second Language Aptitude Test (NYSESLAT)

Please note that while the state is offering these exams, they will not carry the accountability or graduation requirements that they do in a typical year. However, the district believes these exams can provide important information to help see where our students are performing academically. This will allow us to better plan for the additional supports students may need during the summer and in the 2021-22 school year.  

Taking the exams 

Students must attend in-person on the day of each exam to take it.

Each school also will welcome distance learners who would like to sit for the exams in-person. Our thanks to our families who completed the 3-8 testing survey in advance of our April 15 notification deadline.

Current distance learners wishing to take the state Science exam for grades 4 and 8, Regents exams or NYSESLAT exams should complete this survey before the date of the exam.

Parents and guardians can access the survey by signing in with their student's district login credentials.

An overview of these instructions is provided in the table below:

You can contact your principal if you have any additional questions. 

Each school will continue to follow all COVID-19 protocols on the days of the exams, including social distancing, wearing masks and frequent handwashing. 

3-8 ELA and Math testing

As you may have heard, the federal government will not grant states a waiver for 3-8 testing this year, as they did in 2020 due to COVID-19.  This means that schools across the state will administer the 3-8 exams in April and May. However, the state has waived using these exams for accountability purposes.  

In response to the unusual circumstances all schools have experienced over the past year, the State Education Department also has reduced the number of questions on the exams and reduced each exam to one session, which will only have multiple-choice questions. The exams will be untimed and students will be able to take a break if needed.  

The 3-8 exams will be given on the following days:

PLEASE NOTE: All students who will not participate in testing – whether in-person or distance learners – will have a day of distance learning from home. 

Science for grades 4 and 8

The state is requiring only the written Science exam this year for students in grade 4 and grade 8. The performance or lab portion is not required this year.

PLEASE NOTE: As with the 3-8 exams, all students in grade 4 and grade 8 who will not participate in the Science exam will have a day of distance learning from home. Students in all other grades will have a regular day of school. 

Regents exams

The state will offer only the following four Regents exams this year and has cancelled all other June and August Regents exams:

The state is offering exemptions to graduation requirements for these four exams, as well as all Regents exams that are cancelled. The state also has waived the 1,200-minute lab experience requirement for students to be able to participate in one of the two science exams that will be offered, or to earn the exemption for an exam that has been cancelled. 

All Regents exams must be taken in-person, and all students at Albany High School and our middle schools who are enrolled in a course that would culminate in one of the four Regents exams that will be offered can participate.  

Parents and guardians must complete this survey by June 16 if students will take Regents exams. There will be no penalty for students that do not participate in the Regents exams; students will instead receive an exemption to the graduation requirements. In consultation with their parents and guardians, students should contact their school for more information and to indicate their participation in the exams.

NYSESLAT

Parents and guardians must complete this survey by June 9 if students will take the NYSESLAT exam. Schools will administer the NYSESLAT exam during the following testing windows; please watch for more information from your school regarding specific testing days:

“We know this has been a challenging year,” said Superintendent Kaweeda G. Adams. “I want to emphasize that none of the above exams will carry the traditional accountability or graduation requirements that they did prior to the COVID-19 crisis.  

“We believe these exams will provide our teachers and administrators with important information that will help us better serve all of our students as we move forward.”