TRENTON, NJ – Legislators in Trenton are seeking to abolish the testing requirement to graduate high school in New Jersey. Currently, in order to graduate in the Garden State, you need to pass a graduation assessment.
Under the new law sponsored by North Jersey Democrats, that test requirement would end.
“Notwithstanding the provisions of any law, rule, or regulation to the contrary, the State Board of Education shall not require as part of the standards for graduation from secondary school, that any secondary school pupil achieve satisfactory performance on any Statewide proficiency test,” the bill reads.
Instead, Essex County Assemblyman Ralph Caputo wants the state to set a series of standards and guidelines set by local boards of education for graduation requirements.
That means education standards in one New Jersey town would no longer be equal to others in the state.
Those locally developed standards would be monitored by state officials.
” The Commissioner of Education shall monitor local plans for the assessment of proficiencies required for graduation including techniques and instruments to be used to determine pupil proficiency; required programs designed to provide the opportunity for pupils to progress toward the mastery of proficiencies required for graduation,” the bill continues.
The system would also abolish the existing GED process in that students no longer in school would just have to meet the proficiency guidelines set forth by the local districts.
“Any out-of-school youth or adult age 18 or over who has otherwise met the district graduation requirements but has failed to earn a State endorsed diploma may take the graduation proficiencies test which has been developed and administered under the auspices of the Commissioner of Education. Upon passing this test, a State endorsed diploma will be granted] may apply for and shall be granted a State endorsed diploma,” the bill states.