Essex County Groups To Hold Education Forum On NJ Assessment Testing

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — A panel of education experts will hold a public webinar about New Jersey’s statewide assessment tests at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 30.

Advocacy group JerseyCAN and the Urban League of Essex County are collaborating to host the virtual panel. People who want to attend can register online here.

Here’s what to expect, according to organizers:

“This forum will explore the importance of facts and data in creating successful student outcomes for all students New Jersey. We will also discuss how key information has still not been shared with school districts, teachers, and parents. We will unpack how statewide testing works, why it is especially important right now, and why current trends are worrying.”

Moderated by JerseyCAN Executive Director Paula White, “Where Are Our Kids’ Test Scores: The Importance of Tracking and Addressing Learning Loss in New Jersey” will include New Jersey State Senator Vin Gopal, CEO and President of the Urban League of Essex County Vivian Cox Frazer, Vice President of Government Affairs at New Jersey Business & Industry Association (NJBIA) Chris Emigholz, and Chief Executive Office of Phillips Academy Charter School of Paterson Dr. Dowayne Davis, who recently testified before New Jersey Assembly’s Education Committee on the issue of learning loss.

“As the state, school districts, and families continue to fight against unprecedented learning loss through New Jersey, it is imperative that parents are provided the actual facts and the data regarding their children,” White said.

“We must demand transparency – and we are not getting it from the New Jersey Department of Education,” White said. “We are now almost halfway through the school year, and parents and education officials at the local level are still not being provided with basic information about statewide outcomes that could help strategize and inform.”

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