NJ Graduation For All

2010-01-12T10:50:00.000-08:00

Statement on Alternative Assessment

The main purpose of assessment should be to support student learning. Good assessment systems combine state, district, and classroom assessments to promote district and school improvement and provide information for accountability.

While standardized exams can provide some useful information, their overuse and misuse has become a problem, especially in struggling urban school districts. Too often test scores are used to punish schools and students without holding states and districts accountable for the systemic changes needed to improve student performance and close gaps in achievement and opportunity. High-stakes, standardized multiple choice exams can turn schools into test prep centers that bore the best students and fail to help struggling ones. They also fail to develop the “21st century skills” and personal and social responsibility that our young people need to succeed.

New Jersey must address these concerns as it reforms its assessment system, especially at the high school level. Instead of more high stakes exams for graduation, which increase dropout rates and encourage schools to push out “high needs” students, new end of course exams should be limited to 20% of course grades. Scores on end of course exams should be reported separately to evaluate the effectiveness of specific courses and improve the quality of instruction without making individual exams high stakes for graduation.

Students should also have multiple ways to show what they have learned. Presentations, exhibitions, research projects, and graduation portfolios should be regular parts of the assessment process. The SRA (special review assessment) now used by nearly one of every three urban graduates, should gradually be replaced by performance assessment alternatives that provide multiple pathways to graduation. Districts should be encouraged to develop performance assessments that support challenging learning goals and prepare all students for college and careers.

The NJ Department of Education and the State Board of Education have pledged “as the department phases in competency assessments to replace the various components of the HSPA, there will be an alternative way for students to demonstrate competency.” (http://www.state.nj.us/education/ser/faq/). That pledge must be kept before any new graduation tests are implemented. NJDOE officials should also implement their own recommendation to “consult relevant stakeholders in the early stage of developing alternate pathways to graduation so their approach can be scrutinized through multiple perspectives, preventing unnecessary complications for implementation.” (Center on Education Policy report, November, 2009)

We call on the Administration, the State Board of Education and NJDOE to follow through on these commitments and to make the development of performance assessment alternatives part of a robust secondary reform effort that provides multiple pathways to success for all students.

2009-11-11T14:21:00.000-08:00

NJ: GRADUATION FOR ALL
Secondary Reform Campaign Platform

We are failing our kids with high stakes testing for graduation. Some young people are graduating without the necessary skills and others are held back because of unfairness in the testing system.

Before any /additional graduation tests are implemented, the NJ Department of Education must certify that all students have access to the qualified teaching personnel and academic support necessary to prepare for them.

We call for:

*Alternative assessment options: as the state moves towards new end-of-course and graduation exams it should allow districts to develop additional local performance assessment systems that support better teaching and learning and could be externally validated by the state.

* An implementation plan for all high school redesign initiatives to be given to schools before any new requirements are made. Such a plan would outline resource requirements, education requirements for teachers, and sample curricula. At the same time, there would be district assessment for “redesign readiness.” The need for such a plan is outlined in A3692/ S2574, the NJ Secondary Education Redesign Review Act.

*An explicit urban secondary reform initiative within the state’s high school redesign efforts. Parents should be on all school-based committees about graduation and performance. Such committees are called for in the NJ School Funding and Reform Act regulations, (N.J.A.C. 6A:13e) .

2009-11-11T14:18:00.000-08:00

NJ: GRADUATION FOR ALL
Secondary Reform Campaign Principles

Graduation: Every New Jersey school must graduate all of its students. All New Jersey children must be provided with the necessary resources to make high school graduation a meaningful achievement.

Teacher’s Support: Middle and high school teachers need support to help students master rigorous courses and meet high standards. Professional development policies and practices must include capacity building so that teachers are supported and rewarded as they become increasingly effective educators and leaders. Communication between middle and high school teachers must be improved to ease student transition.

Parent and Community Engagement: Parents and community organizations must be meaningfully engaged in any successful education reform efforts. Meaningful engagement is evident at every stage including planning, implementation, assessment and evaluation. Parents and community members must be treated as welcomed partners by school administration and staffs.

Teacher Quality: Students in low performing schools need access to the very best teachers and resources. Concerted efforts must be made to recruit, train and retain teachers who are highly effective and culturally competent so that they can relate and respond to their students and the community in which they are teaching.

Small Learning Communities: Every child should be in a small learning community that fosters a relationship with a professional adult who helps him/her create a personalized learning plan and set goals for academic, career and citizenship success. Children should be given equal opportunities to pursue their interests and develop a love for learning.

Assessment: Every student should be given the opportunity to develop a portfolio of his/her best work. In addition, peer and one-on-ones teacher reviews should be included in graduation assessments.