in 1979, regents competency tests were introduced for all students - in order to graduate students had to pass the rct or the regents exam. later, they were offered only to students with disabilities. they were discontinued with the class of 2015. in 2000, new york state alternative assessments (nysaa) program was first administered allowing students with severe cognitive disabilities to complete a datafolio-style assessment to demonstrate their performance toward achieving the new york state learning standards.