Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman MILA M. JASEY
District 27 (Essex and Morris)
Assemblywoman VALERIE VAINIERI HUTTLE
District 37 (Bergen)
Assemblyman CHARLES MAINOR
District 31 (Hudson)
Assemblywoman BONNIE WATSON COLEMAN
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
Assemblyman BENJIE E. WIMBERLY
District 35 (Bergen and Passaic)
Assemblywoman SHEILA Y. OLIVER
District 34 (Essex and Passaic)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblyman Eustace, Assemblywomen Sumter, Tucker, Assemblyman McKeon, Assemblywoman Stender, Assemblyman Johnson, Assemblywomen Pintor Marin, B.DeCroce, Assemblymen Caputo, Rible, Andrzejczak, Assemblywoman Caride, Assemblymen Moriarty and Space
SYNOPSIS
Requires school districts and charter schools to annually provide to parents or guardians of enrolled students information on certain tests to be administered during the school year.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As amended by the General Assembly on February 23, 2015.
An Act concerning certain testing in public schools and supplementing chapter 7C of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The Legislature finds and declares that parents are better able to help their children succeed in the K-12 public school system when fully informed about the policies and practices that impact their children's learning. The State Board of Education has adopted the Common Core State Standards that will require a new battery of State assessments to replace the existing State tests administered to public school students. It is therefore, the intent of the Legislature to assure that all parents and guardians of public school students enrolled in grades kindergarten through grade 12, are provided timely, clear, and accessible information regarding the purposes, costs, frequency, and length of the State assessment or commercially-developed standardized assessments that their children will be required to take during the school year, and the rules and policies associated with those assessments.
2. As used in this act:
“Commercially-developed standardized assessment” means an assessment that is administered by the school district or charter school that requires all 1[test takers] students in a grade1 to answer the same questions, or a selection of questions from a common bank of questions, in the same manner, and is developed and scored by an entity under contract with a board of education.
“State assessment” means an assessment required pursuant to State or federal law and administered to all students in a specific grade level or subject area and whose results are aggregated for analysis at the district, school, or student subgroup level.
3. a. No later than October 1 of each school year, a school district or charter school shall provide to the parents or guardians of a student enrolled in the district or charter school information on any State assessment or commercially-developed standardized assessment that will be administered to the student in that school year. 1If a school district or charter school elects to administer an additional commercially-developed standardized assessment after October 1, then the information shall be provided within 30 days of that determination.1 The information shall include, but need not be limited to, the following:
(1) the subject area of the assessment and grade levels covered by the assessment;
(2) the date or 1range of potential1 dates 1[of] for1 the administration of the assessment;
(3) 1[whether the assessment has been screened for bias;
(4)]1 the time 1[in which] allotted for1 a student 1[is expected]1 to take and complete the assessment;
1[(5)] (4)1 whether students are required to take the assessment online or have the option of using paper and pencil;
1[(6) the special] (5) any1 accommodations 1or accessibility options1 available 1[for qualifying] to1 students;
1[(7) how] (6) to the extent practicable, the manner in which1 the assessment results 1[will] may1 be used, including 1, but not limited to,1 whether results 1[will] may1 be used for placement in gifted and talented programs, placement in other programs or interventions, grade promotion, graduation, or in any other district or school decisions affecting students;
1[(8)] (7)1 information on how and when the student and his parent or guardian can access both 1sample questions and answers to1 the assessment and the 1student’s1 results;
1[(9)] (8)1 the cost to the district associated with the 1[purchase of the]1 assessment 1[from a commercial vendor]1 , 1[if applicable] including any fees paid to a commercial vendor1 ; and
1[(10)] (9)1 whether the assessment is required by the State, the federal government or both 1[, or is required only by the district or charter school]1 .
b. The commissioner shall provide to each school district and charter school a model document to provide to parents or guardians the information required pursuant to subsection a. of this section 1and information on the costs incurred by the State associated with the administration of the State assessment1 .
c. The information required pursuant to subsection a. of this section shall be provided, to the maximum extent feasible, in the native languages of the parents or guardians of the students enrolled in the school district or charter school.
d. The information provided pursuant to subsection a. of this section shall also be available at the meeting of the board of education of the district or the meeting of the board of trustees of the charter school at which the annual School Performance Reports are presented to the public.
1[3.] 4.1 This act shall take effect immediately and shall first be applicable to the 1[2015-2016 school year] first full school year following enactment1.