Sponsored by:
Senator M. TERESA RUIZ
District 29 (Essex and Hudson)
Senator ANDREW ZWICKER
District 16 (Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex and Somerset)
SYNOPSIS
Extends statutory pause on collection of student growth objective data.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning educator evaluations and amending P.L.2024, c.14.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 5 of P.L.2024, c.14 (C.18A:6-123.1) is amended to read as follows:
5. a. Notwithstanding the provisions of section 17 of P.L.2012, c.26 (C.18A:6-123) or any other law, rule, or regulation to the contrary, in the 2024-2025 school year and each school year thereafter until the next expiration and subsequent readoption of N.J.A.C.6A:10, teachers, principals, assistant principals, and vice-principals shall not collect new student growth objective data or administrator goals data. For the purposes of conducting evaluations of teachers, principals, assistant principals, and vice principals in the 2024-2025 school year and in each school year thereafter until the next expiration and subsequent readoption of N.J.A.C.6A:10, existing student growth objective data from the most recent year in which the educator completed student growth objectives or existing administrator goals data for the most recent year in which the educator completed administrator goals shall be used. For any teacher, principal, assistant principal, or vice-principal in their first year of employment in a district[,] ; any teacher , principal, assistant principal, or vice-principal without a record of pre-existing student growth objectives [,] or administrator goals; or any non-tenured teacher, principal, assistant principal, or vice-principal, the [teacher] educator shall be required to set student growth objectives or administrator goals, as appropriate, and collect data pertaining to these objectives or goals during the 2024-2025 school year and each school year thereafter until the next expiration and subsequent readoption of N.J.A.C.6A:10.
b. Beginning [with the 2025-2026 school year] in the first full school year following the next expiration and subsequent readoption of N.J.A.C.6A:10, school districts shall implement guidelines for the collection of student growth objective data and administrator goals data consistent with any law, rule, or regulation enacted as a result of the findings of the New Jersey Educator Evaluation Review Task Force established pursuant to P.L.2024, c.14 (C.18A:6-123.1 et al.).
c. A teacher, principal, assistant principal, or vice-principal who is not required to complete annual student growth objectives or administrator goals pursuant to subsection a. of this section may complete new student growth objectives or administrator goals for one year. The scores from the new student growth objectives or administrator goals will be applied to the educator’s summative evaluation for that school year and all subsequent school years until the next expiration and readoption of N.J.A.C.6A:10, unless the educator requests the opportunity to complete new student growth objectives or administrator goals in a subsequent school year. A teacher, principal, assistant principal, or vice-principal shall notify their supervisor and the school principal in writing on or before September 30 of the year in which the new student growth objectives or administrator goals are to be completed.
(cf: P.L.2024, c.14, s.5)
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill extends the statutory pause on the collection of student growth objective data initiated pursuant to P.L.2024, c.14, and adds a pause on the collection of administrator goals data. The purpose of the bill is to extend the pause in the collection of student growth objective data and administrator goals data until the completion of possible revisions to the process of annually conducting teaching staff member evaluations which have been recommended by the New Jersey Educator Evaluation Review Task Force in its report issued September 30, 2024.
Under the bill, the collection of student growth objective data and administrator goals data would be paused until the next expiration and subsequent readoption of N.J.A.C.6A:10, which is the chapter of the Department of Education regulations that concerns annual evaluations of teaching staff members.