ALBANY, N.Y. – The New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) union is looking to cancel Regents and other standardized exams again this year, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and other social issues affecting students.

The union wrote a letter to Betty Rosa, the interim state education commissioner, asking for a federal waiver of testing requirements for students in third grade through high school. 

“Without standardized instructional modes there should not be a standardized test at the end of the year,” the union wrote in the letter. “On top of this, teachers are trying to address the social emotional needs of students caused by the pandemic and racial unrest caused by the death of George Floyd. Given the recent surge, it is unlikely that will change much for the rest of the school year, we urge you to request a federal waiver of the grade three through eight and high school testing requirements to relieve the current pressure on the school system.”

NYSUT is also asking the education department to delay implementing the Next Generation Learning Standards until 2023. The new standards, which include changes to math and English instruction, were supposed to go into effect this coming September.

Read the full letter to Rosa below: