Board
backs Librera's plan to end 'other' high school graduation
test
Thursday, June 02, 2005 • BY
JOHN MOONEY • Star-Ledger Staff
State Education Commissioner William
Librera yesterday gained the state Board of Education's
general support for his plan to scrap New Jersey's
controversial alternative exam for high school
graduation.
The main questions now appear to be in
the details of how he will do so.
Librera wants to do away with the Special
Review Assessment, an open-ended test given to those who
fail either section of the state's High School Proficiency
Assessment. It has been criticized as too easy a measure for
graduation.
The SRA was needed by one in six New
Jersey graduates last year, and more than half of the
graduates in the state's neediest districts. In some urban
high schools, the rate was as high as 80 percent.
"It is clear the status quo is not
acceptable," said board president Arnold Hyndman, a Rutgers
University dean.
Yet the debate focused more on some of
the specifics of Librera's proposal to replace the SRA, with
some wondering whether the state's rising reliance on the
alternative test reflects deeper problems in these
schools.
"Weaknesses are evident in the
instructional piece, and that's why I say we need to go
directly to the source," said board member Edward Taylor, a
former director of special services in Camden
schools.
Hoping to win the board's formal vote
next month and required code changes by the end of the year,
Librera has proposed an intense remedial and support system
for students at risk of failing the HSPA, flagging them as
early as eighth grade. They also would be offered more
chances at taking the HSPA, as well as opportunities for
practice tests.
For those who still fail the HSPA, the
state would have an appeals process based on a student's
attendance record and grades. For instance, one proposed
criterion is that a student's grade point average must match
that of students in the same school who passed the
HSPA.
The new system would begin to be phased
in with next fall's freshman class, leading up to its
graduation in 2009. The language arts version of the SRA
would be phased out first, then the math.
Citing the 50-plus percent of graduates
in urban high schools who need the SRA, Librera said the
numbers should be a "clarion call" to the state. "We have
plenty to suggest that the numbers are way out of proportion
to the capabilities of these students, way out of
proportion," he said.
Still, Librera said he would further
refine the appeals process to provide maximum opportunity
for students. He also said he would consider a proposal that
the state set a specific minimum score on all state tests --
including in elementary and middle schools -- before a
student is required to take remedial classes.
"Maybe we should do more than say this is
a plan for the SRA but that this is a plan for the state,"
said Roberta Van Anda, a board member from
Rumson.
Other members said they need far more
information on how the state would expand its current pilot
programs aimed at winnowing the SRA numbers in 10
districts.
John Mooney covers education. He may be reached at
jmooney@starledger.com or (973) 392-1548.
© 2005 The Star-Ledger. Used by NJ.com with
permission.
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