Bill > S347

Introduced Session

This bill requires the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery- Armed Forces Qualifying Test to be offered as alternative assessment for the high school graduation proficiency test requirement. Current law requires public high school students to pass the State graduation proficiency test to demonstrate mastery of the State graduation proficiency standards. State Board of Education regulations establish graduation pathways, which provide that a student may demonstrate proficiency by: 1) achieving a passing score on the State graduation proficiency test; 2) achieving a passing score on a corresponding substitute competency test; or 3) demonstrating proficiency through the portfolio appeals process. The regulations define "substitute competency test" to mean, for students in the classes of 2018 through 2022, an alternative set of third-party assessments approved by the Commissioner, including, but not limited to, the SAT, PSAT, ACT, ACT-Aspire, Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery-Armed Forces Qualifying Test, or Accuplacer, that can be used to demonstrate competency in the New Jersey Student Learning Standards for students who have not demonstrated proficiency on the State graduation proficiency test. In May 2023, the State Board of Education approved the graduation test requirements for the 2024 and 2025 classes, as well as the list of substitute competency tests, but removed the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery-Armed Forces Qualifying Test. It is the intent of this bill to reinstate the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery-Armed Forces Qualifying Test as an alternative assessment by adding it back to the list of substitute competency tests.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Paul Sarlo (D)*,  Douglas Steinhardt (R)*, 

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee (on 01/13/2026)

Official Document