A4991

An Act concerning the collection and reporting of certain information by public institutions of higher education, supplementing chapter 62 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes, and amending and supplementing P.L.1995, c.235.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. (New section) a. As used in this section, “remedial course” means a non-credit course or a course for which credits earned are not applicable to minimum credit requirements leading to a degree or certificate.

b. Each public institution of higher education shall annually report to the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education information on the number of newly admitted students who are placed into or enroll in a remedial or developmental course at the institution. The information shall include:

(1) the total number of newly admitted students enrolled at the institution during the academic year;

(2) the total number of newly admitted students placed into or enrolled in one or more remedial courses; and

(3) any other information deemed relevant by the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education.

c. For each newly admitted student placed into or enrolled in one or more remedial courses, the information provided pursuant to subsection b. of this section shall also include:

(1) the high school from which the student graduated; and

(2) the subject area or areas of remedial education placement.

d. The Secretary of Higher Education shall annually compile the information required pursuant to subsections b. and c. of this section into a report. The report shall include:

(1) the percentage and average number of newly admitted students placed into or enrolled in one or more remedial courses, disaggregated by institution, subject area, and the school district and high school from which the students graduated;

(2) historical trend data; and

(3) any other information deemed relevant by the secretary.

e. The secretary shall annually publish the report required pursuant to subsection d. of this section on the Internet website of the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education.

f. Five years following the first publication of the report, the secretary shall include in the report school districts for which the number of newly admitted students enrolled in one or more remedial courses is significantly greater than the five-year average. If the number of newly admitted students enrolled in remedial courses in one year is greater than a school district’s most recent five-year average by more than 33 percent, the secretary shall send the report to the State Auditor. If the average number of newly admitted students enrolled in remedial courses in one year is greater than a school district’s five-year average by more than 50 percent, the secretary shall send the report to the Department of Education, and the department shall include the information in the School Report Card issued pursuant to P.L.1995, c.235 (C.18A:7E-1 et seq.).

2. Section 3 of P.L.1995, c.235 (C.18A:7E-3) is amended to read as follows:

3. Report cards issued pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1995, c.235 (C.18A:7E-2) shall include, but not be limited to, the following information for:

a. the school district and for each school within the district, as appropriate:

(1) results of the elementary assessment programs;

(2) results of the Early Warning Test;

(3) results of the High School Proficiency Test;

(4) daily attendance records for students and professional staff;

(5) student graduation and dropout rates;

(6) annual student scores on the Scholastic Aptitude Test;

(7) total student enrollment, percentage of limited English proficient students, percentage of students in advanced placement courses, and any other school characteristics which the commissioner deems appropriate;

(8) instructional resources including teacher/student ratio, average class size and amount of instructional time per day, as calculated by formulas specified by the commissioner;

(9) a written narrative by the school principal or a designee which describes any special achievements, events, problems or initiatives of the school or district;

(10) data identifying the number and nature of all reports of harassment, intimidation, or bullying;

(11) indicators of student career readiness;

(12) the number and percentage of students who were chronically absent, as defined in rules and regulations promulgated by the Commissioner of Education within 90 days of the effective date of P.L.2018, c.23 (C.18A:38-25.1 et al.), including the number and percentage of students who were chronically absent disaggregated by multiple student subgroups to be determined by the commissioner;

(13) the number, percentage, and demographics, including race, gender, disability, grade level, and eligibility for free or reduced-price lunch under the National School Lunch Program, of students who received one or more suspensions or expulsions or who were reported to or arrested by law enforcement, by category of offense, pursuant to the provisions of the Uniform State Memorandum of Agreement Between Education and Law Enforcement Officials; and

(14) the number of school psychologists, school counselors, social workers, student assistance coordinators, and other mental health professionals employed by, or under contract with, the school district to provide mental health services to students, and the ratio of students to the total number of mental health professionals providing services in the school and the district; [and]

(15) the number of school safety specialists; and

(16) the number of students graduating high school from the school district who are newly admitted students to a public institution of higher education placed into or enrolled in one or more remedial courses at the institution if the number is greater than the district’s most recent five-year average by more than 50 percent pursuant to section 1 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill); and

b. the school district, as appropriate:

(1) per pupil expenditures and State aid ratio;

(2) percent of budget allocated for salaries and benefits of administrative personnel;

(3) percent of budget allocated for salaries and benefits of teachers;

(4) percentage increase over the previous year for salaries and benefits of administrative and instructional personnel;

(5) the number of administrative personnel and the ratio of administrative personnel to instructional personnel;

(6) a profile of the most recent graduating class concerning their educational or employment plans following graduation; and

(7) any other information which the commissioner deems appropriate.

For the purposes of this section, the Commissioner of Education shall establish a uniform methodology for the reporting of the data concerning administrative personnel on a full-time equivalent basis.

(cf: P.L.2021, c.387, s.1)

3. (New section) The Commissioner of Education shall, in accordance with federal law, include the number of students placed into or enrolled in one or more remedial courses at a public institution of higher education, as enumerated in paragraph (16) of section 3 of P.L.1995, c.235 (C.18A:7E-3), as an indicator for integration into the summative scores calculated by the department for each school and school district as part of the State’s accountability system developed in accordance with the applicable provisions of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. s.6301 et seq.), as amended by the federal “Every Student Succeeds Act,” Pub.L.114-95.

4. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

This bill requires each public institution of higher education to annually report to the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education information on newly admitted students who are placed into or enroll in a remedial course at the institution. The bill defines a remedial course as a non-credit course or a course for which credits earned are not applicable to minimum credit requirements leading to a degree or certificate.

Under the bill, the information provided by public institutions of higher education would include:

(1) the total number of newly admitted students enrolled at the institution during the academic year;

(2) the total number of newly admitted students placed into or enrolled in one or more remedial courses; and

(3) any other information deemed relevant by the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education.

Additionally, for each newly admitted student placed into or enrolled in one or more remedial courses, the public institution of higher education would also include information on the:

(1) high school from which the student graduated; and

(2) subject area or areas of remedial education placement.

The bill also requires the Secretary of Higher Education to annually compile the information received from the public institutions of higher education into a report. The report is required to include:

(1) the percentage of newly admitted students placed into or enrolled in one or more remedial courses, disaggregated by institution, subject area, and the high school from which the students graduated;

(2) historical trend data; and

(3) any other information deemed relevant by the secretary.

The bill requires the secretary to annually publish the report required under the bill on the Internet website of the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education.

The bill provides that five years following the first publication of the report, the secretary is required to include in the report school districts for which the number of newly admitted students enrolled in one or more remedial courses is significantly greater than the five-year average. If the number of newly admitted students enrolled in remedial courses in one year is greater than a school district’s most recent five-year average by more than 33 percent, the secretary is required to send the report to the State Auditor. If the average number of newly admitted students enrolled in remedial courses in one year is greater than a school district’s five-year average by more than 50 percent, the secretary is required to send the report to the Department of Education, and the department is required to include the information in the “school report cards,” which are now referred to as the “school performance reports.”

This bill also requires the Commissioner of Education, in accordance with federal law, to include the number of students placed into or enrolled in one or more remedial courses at a public institution of higher education if the average number of newly admitted students enrolled in remedial courses in one year is greater than a school district’s five-year average by more than 50 percent five-year average as an indicator for integration into the summative scores calculated by the department for each school and school district as part of the State’s accountability system developed in accordance with the applicable provisions of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended by the federal “Every Student Succeeds Act.”

Remedial courses are often a significant barrier to college progress, adding time and cost to the pursuit of a college degree. The Office of the Secretary of Higher Education reports that as of Fall 2024, 4,477 or 12 percent of all first-time students in the State were enrolled in at least one remedial course at a four-year institution of higher education. The Office reported that first-time community college students are even more likely to enroll in remedial courses, with 33.8 percent of community college students in the State taking at least one remedial course. Remedial courses do not generally count towards the minimum credits required to earn a degree or certificate, but often cost the same amount as for-credit courses. As a result, remedial courses increase overall tuition costs and student debt, delaying graduation and hindering student success.