A 3196 (Caputo, Lampitt, Jasey, Jaffer): NJEA believes that New Jersey should not have a high-stakes high school exit exam. The best measure of a student’s readiness to graduate is their performance in their high school classes as assessed by their teachers. A standardized exam is a blunt and inaccurate instrument that cannot determine precisely the qualifications, learning or preparation of individual students. With the interrupted learning students have had since March of 2020, a high-stakes graduation test will only cause unnecessary stress and strain for students, as well as for the staff that teaches them. The State Board of Education’s decision to set the cut score at 750 for a new, untested assessment is therefore deeply concerning.

NJEA supports this bill because it is a step in the right direction and will help students and staff.