By Vicky Flynn and Gerry Scharfenberger
The State Assembly met today and just a month after the election, we did not vote on a single bill to address New Jersey’s affordability crisis, rising utility bills, or the State’s property-tax burdens.
On education, the priority today was not to improve outcomes or supporting students.
The Assembly voted to eliminate the high school proficiency test. There was no attempt made by the Department of Education to provide an alternative assessment of readiness. There was no attempt by the department to present the results and provide ideas for desperately needed remediation.
Today, the Assembly voted for less transparency and less accountability.
You know who we forgot about today? The students who are left behind by a broken education system.
Did you know colleges report that most students arrive unprepared? Community colleges report more than 60% of students must take remedial classes — courses they pay for but that do not count toward a degree. All educators know that these students who start in remediation courses are far less likely to graduate at all.
We are at a loss as to why there was no attempt by the Department to develop a plan to address learning gaps rather than scrapping a test to measure proficiency? Instead, the State Department of Education has offered no data, no solutions, and no alternatives.
New Jersey taxpayers and students deserve better.
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Vicky Flynn (R) and Gerry Scharfenberger (R) represent LD13 in the General Assembly.
