At its November meeting, the State Board of Education heard updates and took action on the following items:
Resolution recognizing the New Jersey PTA: The State Board passed a resolution honoring the work of the more than 100,000 members in 600 local parent-teacher associations. The board noted that the NJPTA has promoted family engagement in schools and communities and advocated for public education for over 120 years.
Proposed regulations on English language learners: The board discussed proposing amended regulations for English language learners to align the regulations with federal requirements under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as reauthorized by the Every Student Succeeds Act. The proposed amendments would codify the ESSA requirement to standardize the use of multiple criteria to identify English language learners and the use of statewide entry and exit criteria used by all local education agencies in New Jersey for language instruction educational programs for English language learners. The proposed amendments also would align the requirements for state assessment of growth in English proficiency with the ESSA. The proposed rulemaking advances the NJDOE’s vision to increase educational equity for all students by aligning state regulations with the ESSA, which was enacted to ensure equitable educational programs and services for all students. Proposed amendments to the chapter would ensure the consistent delivery of bilingual and English as a second language services to all students.
The State Board of Education’s next meeting is Dec. 1.