Assembly Republican Conference Leader Dave Rible said he is pleased with the recommendations made in an interim report recently released by a commission tasked with reviewing student assessments.

“The Study Commission has recommended that school districts throughout the state review the standardized tests being administered to their students to make sure each one is effective and used to improve student learning,” said Rible, R-Monmouth and Ocean. “We need to stop increasing the amount of standardized tests our students are taking and make sure the testing is, in fact, in the best interest of the students.”

Rible sponsors legislation, A-2723, that will prohibit the administration of standardized assessments not required under state or federal law. School districts that wish to administer a standardized test which is not required under state or federal law would have to receive permission from the New Jersey Department of Education and prove that data from the test could not be compiled from other assessments already being administered.

“We as parents, educators and legislators must closely monitor the state of standardized testing in our school districts to make sure our students are receiving the most effective instruction in their classroom,” Rible said. “Over testing is forcing our educators to ‘teach to the test’ instead of providing a well-rounded education which our students deserve.”

The Study Commission on the Use of Student Assessments in New Jersey was created through Executive Order No. 159, issued by Gov. Chris Christie in July 2014. It is tasked with reviewing and making recommendations on the quality and effectiveness of student assessments administered to K-12 students in New Jersey. Its final report must be submitted to the governor no later than July 31, 2015.

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