PARCC As Graduation Requirement? N.J. Lawmakers Move For Ban

The PARCC’s days as a graduation requirement in New Jersey may be numbered if a resolution currently on the plate of state lawmakers musters enough support.

On Monday, the New Jersey Assembly Education Committee voted 11-1 in favor of ACR-215, which would effectively block the state Department of Education from forcing high school students to pass the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) exam in order to earn a diploma.

According to the resolution’s primary sponsors - Assemblywoman Mila Jasey (D-27, Essex and Morris) and Assemblywoman Marlene Caride (D-36, Bergen and Passaic) – the state Board of Education’s current requirements for high school graduation are “inconsistent with legislative intent.”

During a hearing before Monday’s committee vote, supporters of the resolution argued that the PARCC tests higher learning skills - not basic skills – and that the required courses are usually taken in the lower grades.

“The PARCC exams… were always meant to assess and inform instruction, not to make decisions about graduation," said Jasey, who has an office in Maplewood.

“Most states have stopped using [the PARCC] altogether,” Jasey posited. “The decision of state Board of Ed to make PARCC a graduation requirement was, in my view, designed to thwart the opt-out movement.”

• See related article: PARCC Law Passes In NJ: Schools Can't Be Penalized For Opt-Outs

The resolution – which can be seen in full here – makes the following arguments:

• “The new statewide graduation assessment is not an 11th grade exam as required by statute. The PARCC ELA 10 is administered in 10th grade and explicitly tied to a 10th grade course, and the PARCC Algebra I test is also not an 11th grade exam, as it is administered at the end of the year that a student takes the Algebra I course, which could be any grade.”
• “Various sections of state law regarding high school graduation standards refer to a single, comprehensive graduation assessment, but the PARCC tests designated as the new graduation assessment requirement, ELA 10 and Algebra I, are two separate tests given at the end of the relevant course, with administration of one PARCC exam having no connection to the administration of another. These tests do not have to be given in the same grade, let alone in the same sitting as one comprehensive assessment.”
• “Section 3 of P.L.1979, c.241 (C.18A:7C-3) does not make access to the alternative exam conditional on participation in the primary statewide assessment, and has not previously been interpreted in that manner by the state board. The new regulations not only condition access to the alternative options on the designated primary graduation exams, the PARCC ELA 10 and Algebra I, but also condition access on participation in all PARCC exams for which the student is enrolled in courses.”

WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS?

Here are the next steps for the resolution:

• The resolution moves to the full state assembly for a vote
• If passed, the resolution moves to the full state senate for a vote
• If passed by both houses, the state Board of Education has 30 days to amend or withdraw the graduation requirements or the New Jersey legislature can invalidate the regulations

If the bill passes both houses, ACR 215 doesn’t require the signature of Governor Chris Christie to become law since it’s a resolution, according to TAP Into.

“Formal legislative action is expressed through the passage of a bill, or by adoption of a resolution, which expresses the sentiments or opinions of the members,” the NJ Legislature explains on its website. “There are three types of resolutions. A joint resolution must pass both houses and be signed by the governor. A concurrent resolution must pass both houses, but is not presented to the governor. A simple resolution is considered only by the house in which it is proposed.”

• See related article: PARCC Elementary School Results: 556 Districts, Ranked Best To Worst
• See related article: PARCC Results: 371 N.J. High Schools, From Best To Worst

H.S. GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS IN NEW JERSEY

High school students in the Garden State that are slated to graduate from 2017 to 2019 can earn their diplomas through one of three paths:

• Passing the PARCC
• Passing other “alternative assessments” such as the SAT, ACT or Accuplacer
• Submitting a “student portfolio” through a state appeal process

However, starting with the class of 2020, all high school graduates will be required to earn passing scores on “all PARCC assessments associated with the high-school level courses for which they were eligible.”

New Jersey’s high school graduation requirements will morph once again in 2021, when the state phases out the SAT and ACT. Students will have only have two pathways to their degrees:

• Passing the PARCC ELA Grade 10 and Algebra I exams
• Submitting a “student portfolio” through an appeal process (but all applicable PARCC exams must still be taken)

Photo: Shutterstock

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