6 events in Passaic County with a date

District rip timing of new NJ test details

Says they came too close to next week's launch

By: Mary Ann Koruth
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey

..... With a major change to the state's annual standardized assessment tests starting next week, [03/16/2026] some New Jersey school district leaders are frustrated by how slowly information on the change was released by the state Department of Education.
..... The assessments will be conducted suing a new "adaptive" format, in which each student will see questions that are different form those of their classmates, based on their response to previous ones.
..... The state sent a memo on the morning of Tuesday, March 10, [2026] with additional information about the change, but some school districts said it should have been made available at least a month earlier.
..... The New Jersey Graduation Proficiency Assessment, or NJGPA, is administered every year to test the graduation readiness of 11th graders. In addition, the New Jersey Student Learning Assessment, or NJSLA, measures math and English skills in grades three through 10. Both will sue the new adaptive format.
..... The adaptive exams are based on field testing conducted in schools in the fall. [2025]
..... Large districts have found it hard to adapt to changes surrounding test administration, and they said the state needed to listen more carefully to their needs.
..... "The timing, rushed nature and lack of information about this roll-out have been frustrating," said Jania Kusielewicz, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction at Clifton Public Schools.
..... "From the short notice for a mandatory fall pilot to the recent changes in session times" for both the NJGPA and NJSLA, "including details like no set start or stop points if a district needs to run tow sessions for English language arts or math, it has been challenging for a large district opt pivot," she said.
..... The state held public information sessions, conducted professional development training for test coordinators in schools, and has information on its website about the tests.
..... But news that the scoring of essay answers for the test's English component would be doe by AI agents trained in scoring, first reported by NJ.com , caused confusion and took leaders by surprise. The state has not yet confirmed to NorthJersey.com whether it is using AI to score written essays in English.
..... "The most important thing is that AI scoring programs operate with a very high level of accuracy because these scores reflect the hard work of both students and staff," said Chris Wacha, superintendent of the K-8 Haledon school district, referring to questions about AI being used in scoring English essay answers.

Letter to explain format to parents

..... School leaders received a detailed memo from the state o March 10, [2026] containing material that some said they should have received earlier.
..... The state's memo included a link to a sample letter explaining the new test to parents, and "free Online practice tests designed to help students become familiar with the testing platform, item information on how the test would be graded, and an updated FAQ page.
..... The 11th grade graduation readiness test runs March 16 through April 1, [2026]and the NJSLA for students in elementary through high school runs April 27 through May 29. [2026]
..... "The roll-out of NJSLA-Adaptive and the initial date restrictions on NJGPA suggest that the needs of those of us in districts, the practitioners out in the field, were not being heard," Kusielewicz said, referring too districts like Clifton with large Muslim populations requesting flexibility to accommodate students when the test fall during the religious fasting period called Ramadan.
..... The state eventually relaxed the graduation readiness testing schedule, she said. "Hopefully, practitioner feedback is taken into account with the NJSLA-Adaptive implementation as well," she said.

Lots to digest in week before test

..... Damien Arnone, a testing coordinator, was already training his 11th graders in Hoboken High School on Tuesday [03/10/2026] morning to take the new NJGPA adaptive test when the state's memo landed. His supervisor, Sandra Rodriguez-Gomez, said they had not yet gone through it in detail.
..... "We need to take an opportunity today [03/10/2026] to unpack the broadcast memo that was just released," she said. Reports of AI begin used in scoring raised questions, but the memo did not address scoring. it addressed the adaptive test and how students and families might approach it.
..... School leaders noted that the memo was comprehensive and had a lot of granular detail, meaning a lot of information coming down just a week before the NJGPA adaptive test begins. They said testing staff need time to master the information and protocols.
..... The sate did not comment but provide links to six memos it had sent out so far, and noted that it began communication with schools about the adaptive test in August. [2025] It later clarified that it issued a call for proposals from companies to contract for the new tests in December 2023 but the "lengthy" process was "delayed" by a lawsuit from an unsuccessful bidder.

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