Dive Brief:
- New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has announced alternative plans for students to prove they are eligible to graduate.
- Starting in 2016, students will have a handful of options: They can take the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers exam, earn a certain score on the ACT or SAT college admissions exam, or submit a portfolio of their work.
- Given the relative newness of the PARCC exams, students will not have immediate consequences if they do not score well on them.
Dive Insight:
PARCC would probably be the easiest route for a student unsure of how they would do. With the state still trying to figure out its kinks and immediate repercussions out of the mix, it's almost like the high school students who take the PARCC exam will be a sample group.
Providing students with alternate ways to prove achievement is important, since testing is not everyone's forté. It is nice that the state is allowing students the option of submitting a portfolio instead of taking a test. For some people, essays and writing are much easier, and the nuance of a portfolio is also helpful. It would be interesting to see the rubric that the portfolio option would be judged against.