NYSED briefs Brentwood UFSD on Blue Ribbon, INSPIRES pilot; board recesses to executive session

Dr. Vincent Leone, director of programs and policy for Blue Ribbon Schools at the New York State Education Department, told the Brentwood Union Free School District board that the district’s emphasis on equity, English‑learner supports and community engagement positions it well to pursue national Blue Ribbon recognition and to participate in the state’s INSPIRES/Graduation Plus pilot.

Leone outlined the Blue Ribbon nomination process and eligibility rules used by the U.S. Department of Education, noting that public schools must have been in operation at least five years, meet state accountability standards and meet federal guidelines such as high test‑participation thresholds. He said the federal program also requires that at least one‑third of a state’s nominees include schools where 40% or more of students are economically disadvantaged, a measure meant to ensure equity in recognition.

“Brentwood High School is an integral part of that 23 schools” chosen by the state for the INSPIRES pilot, Leone said, adding that the pilot will help the state develop performance‑based learning and assessment rubrics that can work across very different school contexts. He cited local progress as evidence: Brentwood High’s graduation rate, he said, rose from an 11‑year average of about 76% to 84% in 2023–24.

Leone described INSPIRES as a multi‑part transformation that includes adopting a New York State “portrait of a graduate,” redefining credits and learning pathways, sunsetting some diploma assessment requirements, and moving toward a single diploma with seals and endorsements. He said the state envisions a shift away from the current Regents‑centric graduation requirements over the coming years, with changes phased by cohort: students in certain earlier cohorts would retain existing options, while by 2027, he said, Regents exams would no longer be required for graduation in New York as part of the transition.

On the question of whether parents or students would still be able to opt in to Regents exams, Leone said he did not read the plan as preserving Regents as an option for graduation beyond 2027, but he stressed that students will continue to be assessed through multiple means. “There will be no more requirements for students to pass Regents exams in New York,” he said, and added that the state pilot is working to create rubrics and standardized processes for performance‑based assessments so that the new approaches can be comparable across districts.

Leone also addressed concerns about “regionalization,” which some community members feared might mean forced district consolidation. He said the state distinguishes regionalization from reorganization: the current phase is data collection and voluntary conversations about shared resources, not a mandate to merge districts. Any district participation in regional planning, he said, would be voluntary and the state’s process is designed to produce a long‑range plan over many years.

Board members praised Brentwood’s existing work on project‑ and performance‑based learning, noting that elementary‑level initiatives helped the high school’s pilot application. Several trustees said they welcomed the opportunity to collaborate with the state and other districts while preserving local priorities and supports for students who are English learners and recent immigrants.

As the meeting concluded, the board set its next monthly meeting for Dec. 19 and recessed the public session. The board president asked for a motion “to recess public session and adjourn into executive session at 7:54 p.m.” Julia Burgos moved the motion and Brandon Garcia seconded; a voice vote was recorded and the president said, “So moved.”