Bill Text: NJ A4268 | 2014-2015 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Establishes Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers Task Force.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2015-03-19 - Reported out of Assembly Comm. with Amendments, 2nd Reading [A4268 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2014-A4268-Amended.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman BOB ANDRZEJCZAK
District 1 (Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland)
Assemblyman PATRICK J. DIEGNAN, JR.
District 18 (Middlesex)
Assemblyman GORDON M. JOHNSON
District 37 (Bergen)
Assemblyman BENJIE E. WIMBERLY
District 35 (Bergen and Passaic)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers Task Force.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As reported by the Assembly Education Committee on March 19, 2015, with amendments.
An Act establishing a task force to analyze State assessments.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The Legislature finds and declares that:
a. Under the provisions of the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, states are required to administer annual assessments in language arts literacy and mathematics to students enrolled in grades three through eight, and one additional time in high school.
b. Starting in the 2014-2015 school year, the State of New Jersey began a transition to use the assessment developed by a consortia of states known as the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers as its State assessment.
c. In order to determine if these new assessments are appropriate for use throughout the State, a task force that includes a broad range of education practitioners and experts should be established to review the quality of these assessments, and to make recommendations regarding their future use.
2. As used in this act, "PARCC assessments" means the assessments developed by the consortium of states known as the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers.
3. a. There is established the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers Task Force. The purpose of the task force shall be to study the administration of the PARCC assessments.
b. The task force shall consist of the following 1[12] 111 members:
(1) the Commissioner of Education, or the commissioner's designee, who shall serve ex officio;
(2) 1[five] six1 members appointed by the Governor, one upon the recommendation of the American Federation of Teachers New Jersey, one upon the recommendation of the New Jersey Association of School Administrators, 1one upon the recommendation of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce,1 one upon the recommendation of the New Jersey Education Association, one upon the recommendation of the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association, and one upon the recommendation of the New Jersey School Boards Association;
(3) two members 1[of the Senate, who shall not be from the same political party,]1 appointed by the President of the Senate 1, one of whom is the parent or guardian of a student enrolled in a New Jersey public school1 ; 1and1
(4) two members 1[of the General Assembly, who shall not be from the same political party,]1 appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly 1[;
(5) one member, appointed by the President of the Senate, who is the parent or guardian of a student enrolled in a New Jersey public school; and
(6)] ,1 one 1[member, appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly, who] of whom1 is the parent or guardian of a student enrolled in a New Jersey public school.
c. Appointments to the task force shall be made within 30 days of the effective date of this act. Vacancies in the membership of the task force shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments were made. Members of the task force shall serve without compensation, but shall be reimbursed for necessary expenditures incurred in the performance of their duties as members of the task force within the limits of funds appropriated or otherwise made available to the task force for its purposes.
4. The task force shall organize as soon as practicable following the appointment of its members, but no later than 60 days after the appointment of the members. The task force shall select one member 1[of the Senate and one member of the General Assembly appointed to the task force]1 to serve as 1[co-chairpersons] the chairperson1 of the task force. The task force shall also appoint a secretary who need not be a member of the task force.
5. The Department of Education shall provide such stenographic, clerical, and other assistance, and such professional staff as the task force requires to carry out its work. The task force shall also be entitled to call to its assistance and avail itself of the services of the employees of any State, county, or municipal department, board, bureau, commission, or agency as it may require and as may be available for its purposes.
6. The task force shall evaluate the administration of the PARCC assessments. The evaluation shall include, but need not be limited to, the following:
(1) a description of actions taken by the State to date to support the administration of the PARCC assessments and a timeline of any subsequent actions to be taken;
(2) an estimate of the full cost for school districts to administer the PARCC assessments, including those costs already incurred by districts and those to be incurred in the future;
(3) an analysis of districts' technological readiness to administer the PARCC assessments, including technological upgrades required to successfully administer the PARCC assessments and technological challenges encountered during any prior administration;
(4) the use of students' results on the PARCC assessments on matters including, but not limited to, a student's placement in a gifted and talented program, placement in another program or intervention, grade promotion, and as the State graduation proficiency assessment pursuant to section 6 of P.L.1979, c.241 (C.18A:7C-6); and
(5) the use and mining of confidential student and family data including, but not limited to, matters related to a student's learning disability, student behavior, political affiliation, religious affiliation, and medical history.
7. The task force shall issue a final report to the Governor, and to the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), no later than six months after the task force organizes. Prior to issuing its final report, the task force shall hold at least four public hearings, with at least one public hearing to occur in each of the northern, central, and southern regions of the State, to gather information regarding the administration of the PARCC assessments, the mining of student and family data, and student privacy rights.
8. This act shall take effect immediately.
