NJ Students: Get Ready For Fewer PARCC Tests

New Jersey still hasn't done away with PARCC, even though Gov. Phil Murphy once said he was ready to do that right after he was sworn in.

Instead, the state has proposed a set of rules that will mean fewer standardized tests for students as New Jersey continues to draw away from PARCC – even though the new regulations did not go as far as Murphy would have liked.

Earlier this week, the state Board of Education reached an agreement that achieves the dual goals of providing students with "the greatest amount of flexibility while maintaining rigor and high standards," said Mike Yaple, a spokesman for the state Department of Education.

The board approved a plan to eliminate the 11th grade English test and take additional steps to modify the requirements students need to meet in order to graduate, Yaple said. The board, however, did not grant Murphy's request to kill four of the six PARCC exams for high school students.

The plan approved by the state board advances the proposed regulations through the process. Next, they will be advertised in the New Jersey Register and a public comment period will be held, Yaple said.

The New Jersey Education Association said the overall proposal "is an important step in the right direction."

“We look forward to working with the Department of Education, with the state board, and with all other stakeholders, as we prioritize the needs of students for a successful transition from high school to college, a career, and participation in civic life," said NJEA President Marie Blistan.

The state Board of Education has been discussing regulations to the state assessment system that were proposed by the commissioner of education, Yaple said. Two main issues have centered on the high-school graduation requirement and the number of assessments given during high school.

The state board’s proposal would make the following changes to the current system of statewide assessments:

High School Assessments:

• Current: Requires six assessments in high school: English Language Arts (ELA) grades 9, 10 and 11; Algebra I and II and Geometry.
• Proposed: The state board’s proposed regulations would reduce the number of assessments in high school to four: ELA 9 and 10, and an end-of-course math assessment in Grades 9 and 10.

Graduation Assessment Requirement:

• Remains the same: Take and pass ELA 10 and Algebra I.

Menu of Graduation Assessment Options:

• Current: Starting with the Class of 2021, a menu of graduation assessment options (i.e., achieving a certain score on the SAT, ACT, the ASFVAB military test, or other approved assessments) would be eliminated, and the only option to students who did not pass the state’s ELA 10 or Algebra I assessment would be the Portfolio Appeals Process.
• Proposed: The state board’s proposal would maintain a menu of graduation assessment options.

Access to a Menu of Graduation Assessment Options:

• Current: Starting with the Class of 2020, a student who did not pass one or both of the required state graduation assessments (ELA 10 and Algebra I) could access the assessment options only if they took all other state assessments (ELA 9 and 11, Algebra II and Geometry).
• Proposed: Students would be required to take ELA 10 and Algebra I, and those who do not pass would have the opportunity to retake ELA 10 and/or Algebra I after being offered remediation, or they may access a menu of options (SAT, ACT, the portfolio appeals process, etc.).

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