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Bill > A1276
NJ A1276
NJ A1276Requires Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery-Armed Forces Qualifying Test to be offered as alternative assessment for high school graduation proficiency test requirement.
summary
Introduced
01/13/2026
01/13/2026
In Committee
01/13/2026
01/13/2026
Crossed Over
Passed
Dead
Introduced Session
2026-2027 Regular Session
Bill Summary
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
This bill requires the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery-Armed Forces Qualifying Test (ASVAB-AFQT), a standardized test used by the military to assess aptitude, to be offered as an alternative way for New Jersey public high school students to meet their graduation proficiency test requirement. Currently, students must pass a state graduation proficiency test to graduate, but they can also demonstrate mastery through other approved tests or a portfolio process. While the ASVAB-AFQT was previously on the list of approved alternative assessments for students graduating between 2018 and 2022, it was removed for the 2024 and 2025 graduating classes, and this bill aims to add it back to the list of acceptable "substitute competency tests" that students can take to show they have met the necessary learning standards.
Committee Categories
Education
Sponsors (2)
Last Action
Introduced, Referred to Assembly Education Committee (on 01/13/2026)
Official Document
bill text
bill summary
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bill summary
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bill summary
| Document Type | Source Location |
|---|---|
| State Bill Page | https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2026/A1276 |
| BillText | https://pub.njleg.gov/Bills/2026/A1500/1276_I1.HTM |
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