New Jersey State Board of Education Recognizes November as PTA Recognition Month, Acts on Other Items

At its November meeting, the New Jersey State Board of Education heard updates and acted on the following items:

• Recognition of PTA month: The State Board of Education passed a resolution recognizing November as PTA Recognition Month. The State Board recognized the 124-year history of the Parent-Teacher Association as an effective advocate promoting family engagement in schools and communities, and providing a network of local, state, and national voices speaking together on behalf of all children.
• Donated funds: The State Board  accepted donated funds for the Katzenbach School for the Deaf. Specifically, the board accepted $250 for student activity funds, which are for the sole use of supporting student activities such as field trips, yearbooks and student clubs.
• Equivalency and waiver: The State Board approved amendments to the equivalency and waiver code.  The rules govern the equivalency and waiver process and provide the opportunity for regulatory flexibility for school districts. An equivalency is permission to meet the requirements of a rule through an alternative means selected by the district board of education. A waiver allows a district board of education to avoid compliance with the specific procedures or substantive requirements of a rule for reasons that are educationally, organizationally, and fiscally sound. The rules require a school district’s educational community, including parents, administration and staff, to be informed of the proposed equivalency or waiver and be provided the opportunity to comment.
• Setting cut scores on the World Class Instruction and Design Assessment: The State Board passed a resolution setting the cut scores for the WIDA Alternate ACCESS for English language learners. This test measures growth for multilingual learners with the most significant intellectual disabilities. During the 2023-2024 school year, approximately 650 students in New Jersey were given this test.
• Providing testimony on the New Jersey Quality Single Accountability Continuum: The New Jersey School Boards Association provided testimony to the State Board on its proposal to amend the NJQSAC.  In its testimony, the NJSBA, while supportive of the proposal, stressed the need for equitable treatment of school districts regardless of district configuration. Specifically, the NJSBA urged the State Board not to penalize districts through NJQSAC “merely because they educate some of the most vulnerable students in the state or because they have a diverse student population. NJQSAC should contain a mechanism whereby the district performance review considers multiple achievement measures for districts to achieve the required 80% needed to be considered high performing.” The full text of NJSBA’s testimony can be found here.