It will cost about $11.5 million for the state Board of Regents to implement new graduation requirements for the state’s high school students.

The spending will come between the fall of 2025 and the fall of 2029, when the state Board of Regents and state Education Department are projecting the new graduation requirements to be fully implemented. How to implement the standards was discussed by Regents members during their meeting Monday.

“As educators and education leaders, it is our responsibility to provide all New York State students with an educational experience that inspires and empowers them to reach their fullest potential,” said Betty Rosa, state education commissioner. “Today, we are providing the roadmap to an education system that is built around students and their needs. Our objective is to provide greater opportunities for children to learn and grow, to be heard and valued, and to showcase their skills and knowledge. With this plan, we’re doing so much more than just preparing our students to graduate, we’re empowering them to lead, innovate, and contribute meaningfully to their communities.”

Early steps from now until next summer include creating exemptions from diploma assessments for major life events, releasing definitions for the state’s Portrait of a Graduate component of the new graduation standards and adopting the Portrait of a Graduate and then establishing work groups and advisory committees. State officials expect to release the Portrait of a Graduate measurements and guidance between next fall and the summer of 2027 along with releasing reformatted learning standards, require instruction in literacy and climate education by the 2026-27 school year and release information on the state’s new course credit requirements for graduation. Those credit requirements will be phased in with incoming freshman classes in the state’s high schools.

Starting in the fall of 2027 through the summer of 2029, the Board of Regents plans to move to one diploma for all students and redefine seals and endorsements, which includes allowing districts to develop their own assessments for graduation. Students entering ninth grade in 2027 and beyond will be required to earn at least one continuing and technical education credit, which could include financial literacy.

Costs for the first two phases of the new graduation standards are estimated to cost $9 million.

After 2029 the new system will be phased in with students who enter ninth grade in 2029-30. There will also be new statewide transcript requirements, with the transcript documenting a student’s proficiency meeting the Portrait of a Graduate and prioritized learning standards.

“The Board of Regents is firmly committed to the belief that all students deserve meaningful, rigorous, and inclusive learning opportunities in school. We are equally dedicated to empowering all students to showcase their knowledge and skills in diverse and significant ways,” said Lester Young, Regents chancellor. “The Department’s New York Inspires plan reflects our commitment to equity and excellence for all students. This plan is essential for ensuring that all students in New York State, no matter their background or circumstances, receive high-quality instruction that equips them for success in a complex and rapidly evolving world.”

There are gradual changes to graduation requirements scheduled over the next five years. Those entering ninth grades from 2024 through 2026 will be eligible for one diploma, with an advanced designation available as a seal of distinction. Those students will work under the existing credit requirements, with Regents testing requirements for graduation ending by the fall of 2027. Students entering ninth grade in 2027-28 will also be able to receive one diploma, but that diploma will have redefined seals and endorsements while being earned under new credit requirements. Old diploma testing requirements will end in 2027-28.

Students entering ninth grade in 2029 and beyond will be able to receive one diploma, with redefined seals and endorsements. A statewide transcript will be required while graduates will have to show proficiency in both learning standards and the Portrait of a Graduate requirements.