The administration of Gov. Phil Murphy has announced the first steps in transitioning away from the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) and toward a new generation of statewide testing by issuing a report, detailing proposals for draft regulations and other upcoming changes in the 2018-19 school year.
Recommendations were collected by the New Jersey Department of Education during a two-month, 21-county tour in which the commissioner and staff traveled more than 5,700 miles, held approximately 75 in-person sessions, three live webinars, and heard from more than 2,300 students, teachers, school administrators, education advocates and community leaders, according to a press release from Murphy’s office.
“Because of a focused, concentrated effort to reach out to New Jersey residents and to give them a voice at the table, we are on a clear path away from PARCC,” Murphy said. “By making the transition in phases, we can ensure a smooth implementation in schools across the state and maintain compliance with current state and federal requirements.”
“A stronger, fairer New Jersey means one that prioritizes outreach and collaboration when making policy decisions,” Education Commissioner Lamont O. Repollet said. “My staff and I went on a listening tour across the state to ensure we understood the scope of interest, and we moved forward having considered the needs of students, educators, and broader community members in building the next generation assessment system by New Jersey, for New Jersey.”
The transition will be made in multiple phases, according to the press release. The first phase began with stakeholder outreach and culminates with the report and proposed short-term changes. The report provides an overview of the feedback received from interested stakeholders and the process used to achieve it.
The proposed changes for State Board review include:
• Streamlining graduation requirements by reducing the number of required tests in high school from six to two;
• Ensuring that educators and parents receive test data in a timely manner;
• Providing flexibility for first-year English learners on the English language proficiency test.
Additional changes not requiring State Board approval include:
• Reducing the length of testing for all grades by approximately 25 percent;
•Reducing the weight of the assessment on teacher evaluations.
Beginning this summer and occurring during the 2018-19 school year, the Department of Education will be launching the second phase of assessment outreach in New Jersey, focusing on the more complicated questions and issues with implementation that were encountered during the listening tour, according to the press release.