the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, the New Jersey Business and Industry Association is opposing a bill that would permanently eliminate a requirement for students to pass a standardized test to get their high school diploma.
Bill A-4639 is scheduled for a vote in the Assembly Education Committee this morning.
While acknowledging concerns regarding the educational impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on students, NJBIA Vice President of Government Affairs Althea D. Ford said the state should not be reducing higher standards, transparency and accountability within its successful education system.
“From a business community’s perspective, the high performance of our schools contributes immensely to our workforce development pipeline and aids in attracting prospective businesses and employees to our state,” Ford told the committee in written testimony.
“To accompany this investment and demonstrated quality, it is entirely appropriate and necessary for good education policy to promote data transparency, accountability, and higher standards within our successful education system. Our high school graduation test is an important component of that accountability and those standards.”
New Jersey typically requires students pass a standardized test in 11th grade in order to graduate.
Ford, however, said data from the testing would allow school districts to better diagnose and target any deficiencies in educating its students, while gauging “the school’s effectiveness in educating specific school population subgroups, such as limited-English students, students of color, special education students and/or low-income students.”
“Additionally, it allows parents and school communities to hold schools accountable for such,” Ford said. “This data is even more critical after the COVID-19 learning loss, as we need to assess the impact that the pandemic had on our schools and children. Any weakening of our testing policy could weaken the accountability and quality within our K-12 education system.”
Ford added that removal of the state testing requirements could reduce standards of New Jersey’s workforce overall.
“The current system and its tests set a statewide minimum standard for all schools while still allowing the portfolio option for some students to demonstrate proficiency,” Ford said. “Any weakening of our high school testing policy could lead to lower standards for what it means to graduate high school.”
To see Ford’s full written testimony, click here.
How stupid. Let’s keep lowering the bar and dumb down our kids.
Standardized testing is a scam that goes along well
with a failed educational system.
As soon as a tool from the NJBIA starts talking about transparency and accountability you KNOW it’s a joke.
They need to start teaching our kids to trade again.
Try to find a mechanic, Plumber, electrician, and Mason, they make pretty good money
If we don’t get rid of testing, how are we going to achieve Equity?