Exempts certain students from meeting State graduation assessment requirement.
Impact
If enacted, A3760 would have significant implications on state laws surrounding high school graduation requirements. The current laws stipulate that students must pass standardized tests and meet certain conditions to qualify for graduation. A3760 effectively suspends those requirements specifically for the affected graduating classes, allowing students who may have struggled due to pandemic-related challenges a smoother pathway to graduation without the added barrier of proficiency testing.
Summary
Assembly Bill A3760 seeks to amend the existing statutory graduation assessment requirements for high school students in New Jersey, specifically targeting students graduating in the years 2022 and 2023. The bill exempts these students from having to demonstrate mastery of state graduation proficiency standards, thereby altering the conditions under which they can graduate. The primary aim of A3760 is to alleviate educational pressures exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted standard testing and assessment processes for high school students nationwide.
Contention
The bill may raise points of contention among educational stakeholders. Supporters argue that suspending graduation assessments is a necessary response to the unique challenges posed by the pandemic, ensuring that students do not face undue hardship during an already difficult time. However, critics may voice concerns regarding the integrity of educational standards and the implications of lowering proficiency expectations. Educators and policymakers will need to address these differing views as the conversation around equitable education continues.
Revises certain requirements concerning graduation proficiency test and eliminates requirement that graduation proficiency test be administered to eleventh grade students.
Requires Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery-Armed Forces Qualifying Test to be offered as alternative assessment for high school graduation proficiency test requirement.
Requires Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery-Armed Forces Qualifying Test to be offered as alternative assessment for high school graduation proficiency test requirement.
Requires students to pass test identical to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services civics test as part of high school graduation requirements.
Cover Outstanding Vulnerable Expansion-eligible Residents Now Act or the COVER Now Act This bill establishes a demonstration program to allow local governments to provide health benefits to the Medicaid expansion population in states that have not expanded Medicaid. Under the program, local governments may provide coverage for individuals who are newly eligible for Medicaid under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (i.e., the Medicaid expansion population) for a maximum of 10 years, or until their respective states expand Medicaid. The bill provides a 100% federal matching rate for the first three years of program participation. The bill prohibits states from taking certain actions against participating localities, such as withholding funding, increasing taxes, or restricting provider participation. States that violate these requirements are subject to certain funding penalties.