A Parent's Guide to New York State Tests

Updated Nov. 6: Standardized testing begins in third grade for most New York students—and continues up until they graduate from high school. Many parents however admit that they know little about these tests—their only heads-up was an after-the-fact report from their kids or scores in the mail months later. While we don’t know for certain what this school year’s testing situation will be, it’s always a good idea to know when tests are being administered to help your student prepare.

Editor's note: The 2020-2021 NYS Regents Exams scheduled to take place in January have been canceled. Click here for more information. 

The Annual New York State Tests

There are several state tests administered to public school students in New York throughout their education and the results give teachers information about their students’ progress. The DOE also uses test results to judge how schools are performing.

New York State English Language Arts Test (ELA)

Students in third-eighth grades take the ELA test each spring. (Students who have been in the U.S. for less than 1 year usually take the ELA tests after their first year here. Some students with disabilities take the NY State Alternate Assessment instead.) On this untimed test, students read or listen to short passages of stories, articles, or poems and then answer multiple-choice questions, as well as write longer written responses.

220-2021 New York State English Language Arts Test Dates: April 20-22, 2021 (paper); April 19-26, 2021 (computer)

New York State Math Test

Like the ELA, students in third-eighth grades take the NYS Math Test each spring. It is also untimed and includes both multiple choice and open-ended questions. For both this test and the ELA, teachers (from a different school) score the tests and distribute results to parents, which include the student's scale score, performance level, and information on his or her strengths and weaknesses in the different skill areas tested.

2020-2021 New York State Math Test Exam Dates: May 4-6, 2021 (paper); May 3-10, 2021 (computer)

New York State Science Test

This test, given in fourth and eighth grades, requires students to apply scientific concepts, formulate hypotheses, make predictions, and/or use other scientific inquiry techniques. The written examination is untimed and consists of multiple-choice and short and long open-ended questions. The assessment also includes a 1-hour laboratory performance examination, which tests students’ skill using hands-on equipment and materials.

2020-2021 New York State Science Test Dates: May 25-June 4, 2021 (performance); June 7, 2021 (written)

New York State Alternate Assessment (NYSAA)

Every year, students with cognitive disabilities in third-eighth grade take this alternate test, which covers English language arts, mathematics, and science. The subjects are reduced in depth and breadth to meet the needs of the test-taker. (New York state contracts with Dynamic Learning Maps to customize the test to the individual abilities of the student.) The Committee on Special Education determines which students are eligible to take the NYSAA; most eligible students will have an Individualized Education Plan that identifies them as such.

2020-2021 New York State Alternate Assessment Dates: March 8-June 11, 2021

New York State English as a Second Language Achievement Test (NYSESLAT)

All students in kindergarten through 12th grade who receive English as a New Language services will take the NYSESLAT every year until they show that they have mastered the language enough to flourish in an English-only classroom. (There are five levels depending on the student’s grade level.) The speaking section is administered individually, and the other sections, where students respond to stories, questions, or a picture, can be administered to a group.

2020-2021 New York State English as a Second Language Achievement Test Dates: April 19-May 28, 2021 (speaking); May 17-28, 2021 (listening, reading, writing)

New York State Regents Exams

All 2020-2021 New York State Regents Exams, which were scheduled for for late January 2021, have been canceled by NYS. It is unclear whether or not Regents exams will be conducted in person next spring or summer. Due to the cancelation, the Department of Education will propose modifications to the assessment requirements that students must meet in order to earn high school diplomas, credentials, and endorsements at the December Board of Regents meeting. Under emergency regulations, students who are planning to take one or more Regents Examinations in January 2021 will be exempt from the passing of the test requirement if:

• The student is currently enrolled in a course that culminates in the taking of a January 2021 Regents Exam and earns credit for the course by the end of the first semester, or
• Between Sept. 1, 2020 and the end of the first semester of the 202-2021 school year, the student successfully completes a make-up program for earning course credit, or
• The student is preparing to take the required Regents at the end of the first semester of the 2020-2021 school year

For more information about cancelations and exemptions, visit the NYS Education Department website. 

Regents Exams, which can be taken at any point in high school, measure achievement in high school-level courses. In order to graduate from high school, students must pass five Regents exams: English language arts, a math, a science, social studies, and any additional Regents exam approved by the state (options include United States History and Government, Global History and Geography, English Language Arts, Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, Living Environment, Earth Science, Chemistry, and Physics). High scorers are eligible for honors and distinctions; the scores are also used for school quality reports, and teacher development and evaluation.