Amendments to N.J.A.C. 6A:8 Standards and Assessments

1. Amendments to N.J.A.C. 6A:8Standards and Assessments Monday, January 11, 2016

2. Purpose of the Chapter and Proposed Amendments Purpose of the rules: • The chapter implements the State standards and the Statewide assessment system to measure student achievement of the CCCS. Purposes of the proposed amendments: • Revisions are needed to update the terms of the statewide assessment system to incorporate the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) assessments. • Establish a three-phase transition for PARCC as a graduation requirement, replacing the comprehensive High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA) to end-of-course assessments in English language arts (ELA) 10 and Algebra I as the Statewide assessment graduation requirement.

3. Prior High School Assessment System: Class of 2015 and Before Students in the class of 2015 had three opportunities to demonstrate competencies via HSPA. Based on their HSPA performance, students then took appropriate portions of AHSA. Based on their AHSA performance, districts submitted targeted portfolios to NJDOE.

4. New Jersey High School Redesign Steering Committee (April 2008) • Steering Committee was established in 2006 to develop recommendations for improving New Jersey’s public high schools to ensure all students are ready to graduate for high school prepared for higher education and the workforce. • Recommendation:Align standards and graduation requirements to college and workforce entry requirements. • Recommendation: Implement an efficient and effective assessment system to measure student achievement gaps, provides data to address student learning and performance gaps, and align to expectations of higher education and the workforce. • Replace the HSPA with a series of end of course assessments that are aligned with the expectations of higher education and the workplace. • PARCC EOC assessments in ELA 9, 10, 11 and Algebra I, Algebra II and Geometry accomplish this goal.

5. Study Commission on the Use of Student Assessments (January 2016) • Established by Executive Order 159, the Study Commission was established to review and make recommendations regarding the quality and effectiveness of student assessments administered in NJ. • Recommendation 23 and 26: Continued use of PARCC • The Study Commission recognizes that Statewide standardized assessments are an important part of a comprehensive school improvement initiative and are necessary to provide equity in education and accountability for results. Based on information available at this time, the Study Commission recommends that the State of New Jersey continue its membership and participation in the PARCC consortium and annually administer the PARCC instrument as its Statewide assessment. • Recommendation 25: Waiver for ELA 11 • The Study Commission recommends that the NJDOE provide opportunities for waiver requests for the PARCC English language arts 11 (ELA 11) test for students who participate in an assessment that provides information for college placement nationwide (e.g., International Baccalaureate, Advanced Placement).

6. Study Commission on the Use of Student Assessments (January 2016) (cont.) • Recommendation 47: Use of PARCC as Graduation Assessment • Three-phase transitional period for use of PARCC as a graduation assessment: • 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019: PARCC EOC or identified alternatives • 2020: students must take PARCC EOC assessments for which they are enrolled before accessing alternatives • 2021: the first class to be required to satisfactorily pass the appropriate PARCC EOC assessments as a condition for high school graduation. • PARCC EOC Assessments in ELA 10 and Algebra I as State assessment requirements for graduation: • These courses appear to align best with the expectations of the knowledge and skills for graduation established in State statute. • Aligned to higher education and workforce entry requirements.

7. Phase I Graduation Requirements:Classes of 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 (current 9th - 12th graders) Students in these classes have limited opportunities to participate in PARCC assessments and some may have already taken subjects tested by PARCC. As such, to meet graduation requirements, students are able to meet various scores on PARCC assessments , substitute assessments or via the portfolio appeal process.

8. Phase II Graduation Requirements:Class of 2020 (current 8th graders) • Students in the class of 2020 are required to take PARCC assessments if they are in classes covered by PARCC content before they are eligible to utilize either the substitute assessments or the portfolio appeal. This requirement will become effective for the 2016-2017 school year.

9. Phase III Graduation Requirements:Class of 2021 (current 7th graders) and Moving Forward • Students in the Class of 2021 and thereafter will be required to demonstrate mastery on PARCC ELA10 and Algebra I assessments. Multiple re-take opportunities will be present prior to the portfolio appeal process.

10. Continuation of Portfolio Appeals Process • The portfolio appeals process has been used by the Department as an alternative means to demonstrate graduation proficiency since 2010. • To ensure students who do not do well on standardized tests have an opportunity to demonstrate graduation proficiency through an alternative means, we propose continuing the portfolio appeals process through both the transition period, as well as after PARRCC becomes a graduation requirement. • Beginning this month, portfolio submissions will occur on rolling basis through May 13, 2016. This extended timeframe will ease the transition to the new graduation requirements and the anticipated number of appeals.

11. Overview of Proposed Amendments

12. Definitions:Amended to Reflect Change to New Assessment System

13. QUESTIONS?