Bill Text: NJ S2147 | 2016-2017 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Prohibits designation of certain assessments as high school graduation requirement during transitional period to new Statewide assessment system.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-05-02 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee [S2147 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2016-S2147-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator NIA H. GILL
District 34 (Essex and Passaic)
SYNOPSIS
Prohibits designation of certain assessments as high school graduation requirement during transitional period to new Statewide assessment system.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning high school graduation proficiency tests and supplementing P.L.1979, c.241 (C.18A:7C-1 et seq.).
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Notwithstanding the provisions of P.L.1979, c.241 (C.18A:7C-1 et seq.) or any other section of law to the contrary, during the 2015-2016 through 2019-2020 school years, a student who has satisfied all other State and local requirements for high school graduation shall not be denied a State-endorsed diploma solely on the basis of the Statewide assessment requirement. The commissioner shall continue to designate appropriate tests for use as federal and State accountability measures, including meeting the requirements of the "Every Student Succeeds Act," Pub.L.114-95, provided that individual student scores on such tests shall not be used to determine eligibility for high school graduation.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
Under current law, a State graduation proficiency test must be administered to all 11th grade students, and to any 11th and 12th grade students who have not yet demonstrated proficiency on the test. Beginning in the 2014-2015 school year, the Department of Education replaced the State-developed graduation proficiency tests, the High School Proficiency Assessment and the Alternative High School Assessment, with tests developed by the consortium of states known as the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC). The State Board of Education has proposed making passage of PARCC's English Language Arts grade 10 and Algebra I end-of-course exams as the Statewide assessment graduation requirement beginning with the class of 2021.
This bill stipulates that during the 2015-2016 through 2019-2020 school years, the transition period to the new Statewide assessment system, the department may not use standardized test scores to determine a student's eligibility for high school graduation. The commissioner may continue to designate appropriate tests to be administered to meet federal and State accountability measures, including meeting the requirements of the "Every Student Succeeds Act," Pub.L.114-95, but the results may not be used to make graduation determinations for individual students.
