New Jersey is in the midst of a global pandemic. This is having a drastic effect upon every facet of our daily lives. Unfortunately, things will likely get worse before they get better.

Public school employees, parents, and community members are especially concerned with the effect that this is having on our children. Schools are rightly closed as we need to limit physical social interactions. Teachers around the state are beginning remote teaching and over a million students will soon be remote learning. These are unprecedented times.

The New Jersey Department of Education needs to waive the New Jersey State testing, including the New Jersey Student Learning Assessment (NJSLA) and Dynamic Learning Map (DLM) Alternate Assessment. Student Growth Objectives (SGO) required for certificated public school employees will also have no validity as a data collection source for the 2019-2020 school year.  

While addressing the immediate threat of the Coronavirus pandemic must be our primary focus right now, we must continuously be forward-thinking about what steps can be taken now to ensure as smooth a transition as possible back to “normal” life. Ensuring that our students do not lose too much valuable instruction time is of paramount concern as we move forward.