The election of Betty Rosa, a former bilingual teacher, principal and superintendent of Bronx schools, as the new chancellor of the state Board of Regents further confirms the new direction that New York State education policy has taken this year.

Rosa’s predecessor as chancellor, Merryl Tisch, was a staunch supporter of the Common Core Learning Standards, the state tests that were introduced in their wake, and the evaluation of teachers on the basis of student test scores. A critic of the Common Core rollout and high-stakes testing, Rosa has made it clear she wants to revise the state’s learning standards and annual tests and to create a fairer and more objective teacher evaluation system.

UFT President Michael Mulgrew called her “a tireless advocate for all our children.”

Regents are elected by the state Legislature and set education policy for the state. Rosa was elected chancellor in a 15-0 vote by her fellow Regents.

In December, the Regents imposed a four-year moratorium on using state scores as a factor in teacher evaluations. Rosa has said she would like to make that change permanent.

The first Latina to serve as chancellor, Rosa, 64, spent her early years in Puerto Rico before her family moved to New York City, where she attended public elementary and middle schools in the Bronx. She earned both a master’s and a doctorate in education from Harvard. Following her years in the classroom, she was appointed principal of IS 218 in Manhattan. Later, she served as superintendent of District 8 in the Bronx and subsequently superintendent of the entire borough. Rosa was elected to the Board of Regents as the Bronx representative in 2008 and re-elected in 2013.

“We are particularly pleased given her depth of knowledge of the needs of English language learners, and the complexities of having large numbers of students speak not two or three different languages but in New York City’s case, hundreds of different languages,” Mulgrew said. “She brings equal experience working with our special-needs students.”

Rochester Regent T. Andrew Brown was unanimously elected vice-chancellor.

Daniel Garcia, the former principal of PS 130 in the South Bronx, praised Rosa’s efforts as superintendent in getting principals of schools in the wealthier parts of District 8 to work with their counterparts in high-needs schools.