The Regents examinations scheduled for January 2021 have been canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, interim New York state Education Commissioner Betty A. Rosa announced Thursday.

The cancellation applies to all Regents that had been scheduled for the January 2021 Regents examination period.

“We determined the January Regents Exams could not be safely, equitably and fairly administered across the State given where the pandemic currently stands. We will continue to monitor applicable data and make a decision on other State assessment programs as the school year progresses, being mindful of the evolving situation,” says Rosa.

High school junior Denizhan Citroglu says he feels students aren't being challenged as much anymore.

"I was a little relieved, but I did put a lot of effort into studying, so I guess I was a little frustrated," he said of the cancellation.

No decisions have been made regarding the June and August 2021 exams or any of the other New York state assessment programs.

Robert Dillon, the district superintendent for Nasau BOCES says canceling the tests is the right call.

"There's an inequity in the delivery of instruction at the moment. The pandemic has stressed many of the school systems," he said.

Education officials say students will not be adversely affected by the decision to cancel the exams.

"It's basically hold harmless," said Valley Stream Schools Superintendent Bill Heidenreich. "So if you were going to be a January graduate and it was dependent upon you passing a Regents Exam, as long as you passed the class, you would get credit for the exam."

He adds they are now assessing students in other ways.

"We're looking at the development of common district finals because we do need assessment data," Heidenreich says. "We need to determine if there's been learning gaps and we do need to know where our students stand in terms of their learning."

Due to the cancellation, the New York state Education Department will propose modifications to the assessment requirements that students must meet to earn high school diplomas, credentials, and endorsements at the December Board of Regents meeting.