S4653

An Act concerning high school graduation and amending and supplementing P.L.1979, c.241.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. (New section) a. The Commissioner of Education shall develop and implement a Statewide framework to be used by school districts to track the progress of each high school student toward the completion of State and local high school graduation requirements. The framework shall include multiple measures to evaluate if a student is eligible for a State-endorsed diploma pursuant to section 4 of P.L.1979, c.241 (C.18A:7C-4). The commissioner shall ensure that the graduation framework evaluates whether the student:

(1) successfully completed, as determined by the commissioner, high school courses aligned to the New Jersey Student Learning Standards and the State graduation requirements established pursuant to State Board of Education regulations;

(2) participated in an annual postsecondary planning conference with school personnel as part of the development of an individualized career and academic plan for the student. A school district shall provide notification to the student’s parent or guardian of the scheduled postsecondary planning conference, which notification shall provide the parent or guardian with an opportunity to participate in the conference; and

(3) (a) completed, in grade 11 or 12, one demonstration of readiness for high school graduation. A demonstration of readiness shall include:

(i) completion of a capstone project, including the completion of a career and technical education capstone project;

(ii) completion of a dual enrollment program;

(iii) completion of a performance-based assessment;

(iv) completion of an apprenticeship readiness assessment; or

(v) achievement of a qualifying score, as determined by the commissioner, on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), the ACT, Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate exams, or the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery-Armed Forces Qualifying Test (ASVAB-AFQT).

(b) A school district shall offer students a no-cost option to complete a capstone project or a performance-based assessment on school grounds during the school day.

b. The commissioner shall develop a standardized crosswalk that outlines the approved pathways to graduation, including criteria and alignment of allowable accommodations for students with an individualized education program under the federal “Individuals with Disabilities Education Act,” 20 U.S.C. s. 1400 et seq., students with an educational plan established pursuant to section 504 of the federal “Rehabilitation Act of 1973,” 29 U.S.C. s.794, and multilingual learners.

c. The framework and crosswalk shall be used by each school district to ensure consistency, comparability, and equitable access across graduation pathways. The commissioner shall disseminate information and guidance on the effective implementation of the framework and crosswalk.

d. The commissioner shall also:

(1) establish a standardized rubric specifying proficiency standards that a student is required to demonstrate. Student work will be assessed locally using the State-developed rubric;

(2) establish procedures for the training of school district staff in scoring the rubric and for the random external review of district scoring; and

(3) provide a State-designed readiness project bank that includes model capstone projects and assessment options embedded within existing course requirements. The bank shall ensure consistency across school districts.

e. The commissioner shall periodically review and update the elements of the graduation framework, standardized crosswalk, and each pathway established under the standardized crosswalk to identify inconsistencies in student graduation readiness and postsecondary options.

f. In developing the framework, crosswalk, and rubric pursuant to this section, the commissioner shall consult with representatives of the business and education community, including but not limited to: the New Jersey School Boards Association; the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association; the New Jersey Education Association; the New Jersey School Counselors Association; the New Jersey Association for College Admission Counseling; the New Jersey Association of School Administrators; and the New Jersey Business and Industry Association.

g. The commissioner shall develop and adopt the graduation framework within one year of the enactment of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), and shall implement a pilot program in school districts selected by the commissioner during the first full school year following the adoption of the framework by the commissioner. At the conclusion of the one-year pilot program, the commissioner shall implement the graduation framework Statewide.

2. (New section) a. The commissioner shall develop and implement a Statewide system to track the progress of each student toward meeting the requirements of the graduation framework and standardized crosswalk developed pursuant to section 1 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill). The student tracking system shall ensure consistency and transparency among school districts in implementing the framework and crosswalk, reduce the administrative burden on districts through a centralized tracking system, and document each student’s progress towards graduation.

b. The commissioner shall annually issue a report on the tracking system and postsecondary outcomes of students who receive a State-endorsed diploma. This report shall include:

(1) the progress of each student pursuant to subsection a. of this section;

(2) the number of students who were denied a diploma as reported by the school district pursuant to section 7 of P.L.1979, c.241 (C.18A:7C-7) and the graduation pathways of those students; and

(3) the number of students who received a diploma as reported by the school district pursuant to section 7 of P.L.1979, c.241 (C.18A:7C-7), the graduation pathways of those students, and any available information concerning the postsecondary outcomes of those students. The commissioner may review the data contained in the Statewide Longitudinal Data System for Education and Workforce Development established pursuant to P.L.2025, c.388 (C.18A:4-2.1 et al.) in the preparation of the report, and the report shall include data, as available, on:

(a) college enrollment, college persistence, and college completion; and

(b) participation in apprenticeship programs, the attainment of industry-recognized credentials, and employment outcomes.

c. Any data included in the report required pursuant to subsection b. of this section shall be disaggregated by race, gender, disability, and eligibility for free or reduced-price lunch under the National School Lunch Program.

3. Section 7 of P.L.1979, c.241 (C.18A:7C-7) is amended to read as follows:

7. The local chief school administrators shall report annually to their local boards of education and to the Commissioner of Education the number of students who:

a. completed the [twelfth] grade 12 course requirements and the elements of the high school graduation framework pursuant to section 1 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) and were denied a diploma [and the number of students who];

b. did not complete the elements of the high school graduation framework pursuant to section 1 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) and were denied a diploma; and

c. completed the grade 12 course requirements and the elements of the high school graduation framework pursuant to section 1 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) and received State endorsed diplomas [;

a. By successfully completing the Statewide assessment tests and local requirements;

b. By using the comprehensive assessment techniques and meeting local requirements, and were not classified pursuant to chapter 46 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes; and

c. By using the comprehensive assessment techniques, meeting local requirements, and were classified pursuant to chapter 46 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes].

This report to the commissioner shall be included as a portion of the district annual report required under section 11 of P.L.1975, c.212 (C. 18A:7A-11).

(cf: P.L.1979, c.241, s.7)

4. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

This bill establishes a comprehensive high school graduation framework to ensure that students are prepared for college, careers, and civic life.

This bill directs the Commissioner of Education to develop and implement a Statewide framework to be used by school districts to track the progress of each high school student toward the completion of State and local graduation requirements and the receipt of a State-endorsed high school diploma. The graduation framework would include the following elements:

1) successful completion of high school courses aligned to the New Jersey Student Learning Standards and the State graduation requirements established pursuant to State Board of Education regulations:

2) participation in an annual post-secondary planning conference with school personnel as part of the development of an individual career and academic plan; and

3) one demonstration of readiness for high school graduation completed in grade 11 or 12, such as successful completion of a capstone project, a college dual enrollment program, or a performance-based assessment.

The bill requires a school district to offer students a no-cost option to complete a capstone project or a performance-based assessment on school grounds during the school day.

The commissioner is also directed under the bill to develop a standardized crosswalk that outlines all approved pathways to graduation, including criteria and alignment for students with disabilities and multilingual learners.

The framework and standardized crosswalk are required to be developed within one year of the bill’s effective date, and a pilot program will be implemented by the commissioner in selected school districts in the first full school year following the adoption of the framework. Upon the conclusion of the one-year pilot program, the graduation framework and standardized crosswalk will be implemented Statewide.

The commissioner is directed to develop and implement a Statewide system to track the progress of each student towards meeting the graduation requirements under the framework and crosswalk. The bill requires the commissioner to annually issue a report on the tracking system and postsecondary outcomes of students who received a State-endorsed diploma as specified in the bill.

Finally, under current law, the local chief school administrator is required to report annually to the local board of education and the Commissioner of Education on the number of students who completed the 12th grade course requirements and were denied a diploma and the number of students who received a State endorsed diploma. Current law details the information that is included in this annual report. This bill modifies the information that will be in this annual report, to include those students who completed the grade 12 course requirements and the elements of the high school graduation framework established under the bill and were either denied a diploma or granted a State-endorsed diploma, as well as the students who did not complete the elements of the high school graduation framework established under the bill and were denied a diploma.