Regent Keith Wiley outlines New York’s Portrait of a Graduate, stresses multiple pathways and retained Regents exams

Regent Keith Wiley, a member of the New York State Board of Regents representing the 8th Judicial District, addressed the Williamsville Central School District community to describe the Board’s recently adopted Portrait of a Graduate and to explain how it will change diploma requirements statewide. "I voted on the Portrait of a Graduate in July 2025, and it’s a plan to transform education and designed to promote equity within our educational system," Wiley said.

Wiley said the policy shifts the state away from using high-stakes assessments as the single deciding factor in awarding a diploma while retaining the Regents exams. "The Regents exams are not going away," he said, adding that the exams are federally funded and remain aligned with measures of school performance.

The Portrait of a Graduate creates what Wiley described as "multiple pathways to one rigorous diploma," including career-connected learning, work-based internships, interdisciplinary instruction and dual-enrollment opportunities. He highlighted new expected learning areas that will be taught from kindergarten through 12th grade, naming financial literacy, climate education and civics as examples.

Wiley outlined the competencies the reform aims to secure for every student: problem solving, communication, creativity, collaboration and civic readiness. He also discussed performance tasks, portfolios and capstone projects as mechanisms for students to demonstrate readiness; those products may carry optional seals and endorsements under the new framework.

Addressing equity concerns, Wiley said the Portrait is designed to serve diverse student populations — including English language learners, students with disabilities, minority students and those in rural communities — by providing multiple ways to show readiness. "Will the standards be lowered? No, the standards will remain intact. Will exams be eliminated? No, they won’t be eliminated," he said.

Wiley emphasized implementation will require broad partnership across districts, BOCES, educators, families and teachers, and he urged collaboration so teachers can align lesson plans to the new standards. He framed the initiative as statewide and long-term: "New York Inspires prepares students not just to graduate, but ensure every student graduates not only academically prepared but equipped with the knowledge skills dispositions needed to thrive." The transcript does not specify district-level timelines or the Board’s vote tally.

The Williamsville message provided local context for the Board of Regents’ policy changes; details about district-specific implementation plans and exact timelines were not included in the remarks.