New York State Library | Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ: Schools and Testing

Are the New York State Regents High School Examinations (Regents Exams) available online?

Many Regents examinations have been scanned by the New York State Library and are available online in PDF format. Recent exams are also available in PDF format from the New York State Education Department, Office of Elementary, Secondary, Middle and Continuing Education.

Exams that are not online are available in hard copy at the New York State Library. You may request copies from your local library through interlibrary loan. There may be a photocopying fee.

Are the Regents Competency Tests (RCTs) available online?

As of August 2006, the Regents Competency Tests are not available online. However, if the Office of Test Development (a unit of the Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment Office) has paper copies of an RCT available, they can send one copy.

E-mail for Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment Office: emscurric@mail.nysed.gov

Phone number for Testing Programs: (518) 474-5099

The State Library also has paper copies of some of the Regents Competency Tests in our collection (see the catalog record for more information). These exams can be viewed onsite at the Library, or the Library can make photocopies for a fee (see charges for photoduplication).

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Where can I find information on the State testing, and other publications about curriculum, instruction and assessment?

Information on New York State assessments can be found on the New York State Education Department's Office of State Assessment page.

The Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment Publications page contains information by subject area.

Where can I find the School Report Cards?

The most recent School Report Cards can be accessed from the Web pages for New York State Education Department's Office of Elementary, Middle, Secondary and Continuing Education under School District Information.

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Can you direct me to the laws regarding meetings of the New York State School Boards of Education? I am interested in finding out what topics can be discussed in their executive sessions and what topics are required to be done in open/public sessions.

New York State's Open Meetings Law prescribes the procedures under which meetings of public bodies, such as school boards, are held. NYS Public Officers Law, article 7, section 105 concerns the conduct of executive sessions. The Committee on Open Government is an advisory body on this topic, and you will find frequently asked questions and a link to the law at: http://www.dos.state.ny.us/coog/coogwww.html.

Where can I get a copy of my high school diploma?

Records of transcripts and diplomas are held by the institution that granted them. To obtain this information you must go to the correct school. The best source for addresses and telephone numbers of secondary schools is the Directory of Public and Non-public School Administrators available at http://www.nysed.gov/admin/bedsdata.html.

If the school you attended has since closed, contact the school district office for the geographic area in which it was located. Whether the school was public or private, the school district should have information about where the school's records were transferred when the school was closed.

A directory to degree-granting and non-degree-granting proprietary schools (e.g., trade and business schools; computer training facilities; and for-profit English as a Second Language, or ESL, schools) that operate in New York can be found at http://www.highered.nysed.gov/bpss/directory_main_page.htm.

Where can I get a copy of my teaching certificate?

Information on lost credentials is available from the New York State Education Department's Office of Teaching.

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