The state Department of Education said it would eliminate the fall Start Strong tests, the shorter version of the spring statewide standardized tests put in place during the pandemic.
, with reports of students tested on a year’s worth of material they were only starting to learn.
In the memo, Jorden Schiff, the acting assistant commissioner division of teaching and learning services, said the Start Strong program provided “timely data to assist schools and districts in their decision-making process.” He said the amount spent on the tests, estimated at $5 million annually, would be transferred to the statewide volunteer tutoring effort, the New Jersey Partnership for Student Success .
Assemblywoman Kim Eulner added, “By retesting skills already assessed four months ago, we neglect our students’ academic needs and cause a heavy burden of educational demands that have contributed to the current mental health crisis.” They proposed allowing districts to use their own tests, which would be quicker and more efficient.
Julie Borst, the executive director of Save Our Schools NJ Community Organizing, a nonprofit schools advocacy group, praised the decision to retire the test. “The state spent over $5 million on a useless test. That money would have been much better used directly for student support - like increasing the funding for the School-Based Youth Services Programs,” she said. “Hopefully, that funding goes to the training of tutors for the high-dose tutoring initiative.”
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