By John Mooney
Senate panel hears two sides testify on task force to assess new standards, testing before results can be applied to schools, students, teachers
New Jersey’s slow dance with the Common Core State Standards and new state testing continued yesterday, with dozens of people testifying for and against a bill that would slow the consequences of that testing.
Little was resolved in the hours-long testimony before the state Senate education committee, with the committee’s chair only saying that she continued to pursue multiple paths to try to ease tensions over the new standards and tests.
While the committee did not vote on the bill yesterday, it also did not rule out further action next week before the full Senate — including in deliberations over the state budget — in what could be the final sessions before summer.
The bill already passed the Assembly with an overwhelming and bipartisan vote, 72-4.
‘’I am not sure of the future of the bill,” said state Sen. Teresa Ruiz (D-Essex), the committee chairman and a prominent voice in the Legislature on education policy. “I do believe this is not something that should be handled in statute, but should be done in regulation.”
Still, even without the committee’s vote, the full Senate could take up the measure and move it to the governor’s desk.
Ruiz stressed she wanted the issue settled — at least for now — by the time the Legislature breaks for summer.
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