Bill delayed, court case proceeds and the fate of state test unclear

TRENTON — The fate of the test formerly known as PARCC remains up in the air as a vote in a state Senate committee to amend graduation requirements related to standardized tests was delayed Monday.

The state Department of Education earlier this month issued guidance to local school districts directing them to give the test, recently renamed the New Jersey Student Learning Assessment, this spring and next fall, but the question remains whether the tests can be used as a requirement for high school graduation, which the courts ruled was contrary to existing state law. If the new bill is passed, the court's opinion would be moot.

The bill, introduced last week by Senate Education Chairwoman M. Teresa Ruiz, would amend the state law to allow for more than one standardized assessment to be used as a requirement for high school graduation and eliminates a requirement that the test be administered in 11th grade. It also allows current seniors and juniors to use the previous graduation requirements to obtain their diplomas.

The bill was in response to a recent state appellate court ruling that invalidated the Department of Education’s 2016 changes to its graduation standards, Ruiz said during Monday’s budget and appropriations committee meeting.

Read more: https://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/education/bill-delayed-court-case-proceeds-and-the-fate-of-state/article_29ce2893-e163-525d-bd92-4756930fb76f.html