Halt NJ Test Requirement For Class Of 2023, NJ School Board Says

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Across New Jersey, high school juniors have been sitting for standardized tests this week, the newest version of testing by the state to determine whether students are prepared for college and careers after graduation.

The test, the New Jersey Graduation Proficiency Assessment, has never been administered before 2022, but students taking it this year would be required to pass it to graduate from high school, according to the state Department of Education.

The Toms River Regional Board of Education has spoken out against the graduation requirement, unanimously approving a resolution on Wednesday urging state lawmakers to pass a bill that would limit the use of the test to field testing for the Class of 2023. The district is among the largest in the state, with more than 14,600 students.

Assemby Bill 3196, sponsored by Ralph Caputo (D-Essex), Pamela Lampitt (D-Burlington, Camden), Mila Jasey (D-Essex, Morris) and Sadaf Jaffer (D-Somerset, Mercer, Middlesex, Hunterdon), would block the use of the NJGPA as a graduation requirement for the class of 2023. Sen. Shirley K. Turner (D-Mercer) has sponsored a companion bill, S2349.

"From mental health concerns to learning delays, our students have been through a lot and what they need now is our support, not the anxiety and stress that comes with taking a new high-stakes assessment test your school career would depend on," the Assembly sponsors said in a joint statement, according to an Insider NJ report.

"Counting the New Jersey Graduation Proficiency Assessment this year will create barriers to graduation for many students who have faced challenges over the last two years," the statement said. "It is unfair and unconscionable to spring a new test on rising seniors and raise the stakes as they are so close to graduation."

Under state law, students are required to be notified of graduation requirements before they enter their freshman year of high school.

The state has said students in the classes of 2023, 2024, and 2025 will take the NJGPA as juniors and must achieve a 750 on the test to graduate, according to the state graduation standards. The education department says the test is aligned to the state's "Student Learning Standards" for 10th grade English, Algebra I and geometry.

There is no information available on the state Department of Education website that indicates the maximum score on the test, nor does it say how many questions must be answered correctly to achieve the 750 benchmark.

Educators and administrators who have spoken out say the test is better used as a field test to allow districts to get a sense of how much the pandemic has led to learning loss for students.

The State Board of Education in February approved the 750-point passing score against the recommendation of the Department of Education and its acting commissioner, Angelica Allen-McMillan, the New Jersey Monitor reported. Some of the board’s members expressed concerns the lower score would lead to more students needing remedial classes after entering college.

Caputo had harsh words for using the new test as a graduation requirement for 2023.

"To me, it’s almost educational malpractice to institute a requirement like that at this point," he said.

Gov. Phil Murphy waived graduation testing requirements for the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years because of the pandemic.

The Toms River school board resolution urges the state Legislature and Murphy to support and approve Caputo's bill, which board members say is what is best for kids.

"... the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly impacted students in the Toms River Regional Schools Board of Education and throughout the State and ... has led to a number of unique and pressing challenges for our students, in and beyond the classroom," the resolution says in part.

"As students returned to in-person learning, school officials are finding a significant drop in the number of students who are performing at grade level in key subject areas, including English language arts and math ... the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the student mental health crisis with an increase in both the number of students being treated by emergency rooms across the state for mental health emergencies and those showing signs of anxiety or depression."

"Students do not need the additional anxiety and stress associated with taking a new and unproven assessment on which their entire academic career depends," the resolution says.

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