State Officials Asks Feds To Allow Them To Cancel Spring State Regents Exams Written by Peter Carey The New York State Education Department (NYDOE) is asking the federal government to allow them to cancel standardized tests originally scheduled for this spring, saying it doesn’t make sense to move forward with the exams while COVID-19 continues to read havoc with schools across NY state. The state exams are typically held in the spring for those in grades 3 to 8. The exams are mandated by federal education law, and state officials would need a waiver from the Federal Education Department to cancel them.