Recommendations: Committee on Assessment

• Identify and use a nationally normed, standardized test closely aligned with the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards (NJCCCS) for the 4^th grade in language arts literacy (reading and writing), math, and science components; assess the other elements in 5^th grade.

• Provide assurance that the ESPA, GEPA, HSPA are valid, reliable and accurate measures of mastery of the curriculum standards at their respective grade levels

• Form a state Department of Education committee representing subject-area specialists and grade-level specialists (specifically teachers and supervisors) to re-examine the relevancy and the appropriateness of the assessments and to validate the tests and align them with the standards.

• Limit test administration to no more than 2 hours per day and ten hours per grade level

• Return test results, including assessment mapping and item analysis, to districts no later than June 1.

• Provide complete practice tests, with all accompanying scoring material, for each component of the assessment.

• Redevelop the state Department of Education’s regional teacher training academies as a way to align the curriculum standards with the state’s newly required continuing education for teacher.

• Supply the financial resources necessary to fully implement the requirements of state code governing standards and assessment.

• Eliminate the absolute standard for districts (85% of students determined "proficient" or "advance proficient") and replace it with a model based on the improved annual progress in each proficiency level at each grade level in which statewide assessments are administered.

• Modify the way the DOE annually reports test scores to show progress of individual districts against state median scores at each grade level for the current and prior years.

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