Gov. Chris Christie may have a bill on his desk by the of the week that delays by at least two years the use of new student assessments linked to the Common Core state standards.
The state Senate has scheduled a vote for Thursday afternoon on legislation (A3081) that establishes an Education Review Task Force to analyze the Common Core standards, the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) assessments and the use of students' test results in evaluating teachers.
It seems unlikely Christie would support the bill, but he has indicated he'll be making an announcement related to Common Core and PARCC, such as changes to the program done through an executive order, at some point over the next few days.
The bill says that for at least two years, or longer if the task force's final report isn't completed within the year it's supposed to take, PARCC assessments can't be used as a high school graduation requirement or for other school or students accountability purposes. It also says that growth in students' test scores can't be used for at least two years for a teacher's or principal's evaluation.
The bill would give school districts the option of administering the PARCC assessment online, using a pencil and paper format, or a combination of the two, in the upcoming two school years.
The task force would have 15 members, including acting Education Commissioner David Hespe or his designee and eight members recommended by the following organizations: the American Federation of Teachers New Jersey, the New Jersey Association of School Administrators, the New Jersey Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, the New Jersey Council of County Vocational Schools, the New Jersey Education Association, the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association, the New Jersey School Boards Association and the Statewide Parent Advocacy Network.
Senate President Stephen Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto would each appoint three public members, including a parent or guardian of a student enrolled in a New Jersey public school, an individual with expertise in language arts literacy instruction and curriculum and an individual with expertise in math instruction and curriculum.
The bill was passed by the Assembly on June 16, 72-4 with two voting to abstain. Republican assemblymen Jon Bramnick, Jack Ciattarelli, John DiMaio and Declan O'Scanlon voted no, while assemblywomen Eliana Pintor Marin, a Democrat, and Donna Simon, a Republican, voted to abstain.
Two Democratic assemblymen, Jason O'Donnell and Benjie Wimberly, were absent from the June 16 voting session.
http://www.app.com/story/news/politics/capitolquickies/2014/07/07/nj-senate-to-vote-thursday-on-slowing-common-core/12298553/
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