At his daily COVID-19 briefing on March 24, Gov. Murphy announced that New Jersey will cancel the administration of state assessments this year. Last week, President Trump said that the federal government would allow states to cancel their testing programs, which are required under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act.
Following the governor’s announcement of the cancellation, Commissioner of Education Dr. Lamont Repollet issued a memo to chief school administrators, referencing the impact on educator evaluations, school district accountability, and graduation requirements.
“We are working to mitigate any unintended consequences, and we will work through multiple channels to keep stakeholders fully informed of updated guidance and other changes,” he stated.
Technically, the state will apply for a waiver to the U.S. Department of Education to forgo the testing program after which permission will be granted. The New Jersey State Assessments were scheduled to be administered from late April through early May.
NJSBA is monitoring the situation and will inform the membership of further developments.