Governor Phil Murphy says New Jersey is taking steps to phase out controversial PARCC standardized testing.
Murphy says beginning in the upcoming school year the New Jersey Education Department will reduce the length of the tests in all grades by 25 percent.
“The Department will also ask the New Jersey State Board of Education to simplify and reduce the assessments necessary for high school graduation from six assessments to two, retaining only Algebra 1 and English Language Arts 10 as the two assessments.”
Murphy also wants to ensure parents and teachers get PARCC results faster so issues can be more readily identified and resolved.
Education Commissioner Lamont Repollet says he and his staff went on a listening tour across the state to ensure they considered the needs of students, educators, and the community in transitioning away from PARCC tests.
“The one thing that they talked about that resonated the most, make sure that we create an assessment that gears towards our students. They wanted to end high-stake testing. They wanted to make sure that students have shortened times because honestly when you have a seven hour assessment, it’s a bit too much.”
The Governor says he would have liked to scrap PARCC entirely.
“By making a transition in phases we can ensure a smooth implementation in schools across the state and the same maintain compliances with federal and state requirements.”
Murphy says it could take a few more months for the Education Department to complete the process of reducing the impact of PARCC results on teacher and principal evaluations.