The Board of Regents and State Education Department are hosting regional information meetings to gather feedback on what a state diploma should signify “to ensure educational excellence and equity for every student in New York State,” the announcement said.

The meeting in our area is set for Feb. 3, with a snow date of Feb. 6, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at Moe’s Pub and Grill, Adirondack Room, 3357 US-11, Malone, led by Beverly Ouderkirk of Morristown, 4th District Regent.

The meetings are part of the review of graduation measures and will offer opportunities for stakeholders and members of the public to share input.

“The Board of Regents and I have made it our guiding mission to ensure that every child has equitable access to the highest quality education opportunities, services and supports,” Board of Regents Chancellor Betty A. Rosa said. “Board members and I will lead the regional meetings and be actively involved in the feedback-gathering process. By asking parents, educators, students, community members, business organizations and others for input during every step of the graduation measure review process, we will ensure we hear diverse viewpoints from every region of the state.”

“We are undertaking the exciting initiative of reviewing New York’s graduation measures with a flexible timeline that ensures a thoughtful and deliberative process that fosters a statewide dialogue about how we can best provide avenues for students to demonstrate they’re ready to graduate with a meaningful diploma,” Interim Education Commissioner Shannon Tahoe said.

The meetings will include the opportunity for attendees to break out into small groups to discuss and provide feedback on five guiding questions:

• What do we want students to know and to be able to do before they graduate?

• How do we want students to demonstrate such knowledge and skills?

• How do you measure learning and achievement (as it pertains to the answers to #2 above) to ensure they are indicators of high school completion?

• How can measures of achievement accurately reflect the skills and knowledge of our special populations, such as students with disabilities and English language learners?

• What course requirements or examinations will ensure that students are prepared for college and careers or civic engagement?

For those who cannot attend a meeting, there is an online survey at http://www.nysed.gov/grad-measures to provide feedback.