Bronxville, Scarsdale and Eastchester sophomores will no longer need to pass Regents exams to graduate.

The New York State Board of Regents voted unanimously Monday, Sept. 14, to end the requirement.

The class of 2028 is the first affected. Students graduating in 2027 must still pass at least four Regents exams in math, English, science and Global Studies.

The vote also replaces New York's three-diploma system with a single high school diploma.

Advanced academic diplomas will become optional. Under the new framework, local districts will design their own testing and grading plans, drawing on classroom assessments and other measures to gauge student proficiency, News10 reported.

Regents exams will still exist. The Board of Regents said the tests will remain "one of several ways students can demonstrate proficiency" in state learning standards, according to News 12 Westchester.

Former Long Island Regent Roger Tilles told News 12 Westchester that some districts may keep using the exams as finals or internal benchmarks.

All three local districts already post high graduation rates. Bronxville High School has a 100 percent rate with 528 students, and Scarsdale Senior High School graduates 99 percent of its 1,478 students, according to Daily Voice.

Eastchester's district-wide graduation rate is 94 percent, according to district records. For families in those communities, the practical question is what replaces the exams as a common measure of achievement.

No public comment from Bronxville Superintendent Rachel Kelly, Scarsdale Superintendent Drew Patrick or Eastchester Superintendent Alison Villanueva appeared in public records as of publication. Each district will need to develop and share its own assessment plan with the public during the 2027-28 school year.

The timeline is tight. The Times Union reported that as recently as this summer, state education officials had said the change would not take effect until 2029. Monday's vote moved it up a year.

The State Education Department (NYSED) has until February 2027 to present draft regulatory amendments. The Board of Regents is scheduled to vote on final adoption in June 2027, with new rules taking effect July 1, 2027.

Regent Hasoni Pratts, a New York City public school parent whose child is in 10th grade, questioned the pace at Monday's meeting: "Any student and parent right now doesn't know what schedule they should have, what program they should have."

Deputy Commissioner Angelique Johnson-Dingle told families not to change course schedules, saying the shift means students will no longer need a passing score to move on from high school.

Mohonasen Superintendent Shannon Shine called the 2028 timeline "too soon," citing the lack of replacement capstone projects.

High school students in grades nine through 11 will still take statewide tests in English, math and science under federal law. Those scores will be used to evaluate schools, not students, and will not appear on report cards.

Bronxville, Scarsdale and Eastchester families can check district websites for upcoming board meeting dates where the policy may be discussed.