As conversation surrounding eliminating statewide PARCC testing for students continues, Senator Vin Gopal continues to push back against high stake testing as a graduation requirement in NJ.
“High stakes standardized testing does not benefit students, teachers, or parents,” said Senator Vin Gopal.
“Graduation from high school should not be based solely on a test. New Jersey is one of only 12 states nationally that requires students to pass a high stakes standardized test to graduate from high school. Experts in the field of education have continuously found that high stakes tests are not beneficial to students as it does not clearly assess a student’s knowledge. There is no reason to put students through the additional stress of this assessment which does not truly measure their career and college readiness,“ said Senator Gopal.
Senator Gopal emphasized the burden high stake standardized tests have on educators. “Curricula in schools are often forced to align with standardized testing and takes valuable time away from classroom instruction. As any educator will tell you, education is about each student’s individualized growth. These tests force teachers to teach to the test rather than focusing on the needs of students and the reason they come to school in the first place, to learn.”