March 6, Adult Education Regulatory Changes Pursuant to the Governor’s ETTF Division of Teacher and Leader Effectiveness

Technical Changes 1.Moving the last chapter in 6 to 6A (N.J.A.C. 6:30 recodified to N.J.A.C. 6A:20) 2.Repealing two sections (N.J.A.C. 6:30-2 and N.J.A.C. 6:30-4) High School Equivalency Test 3.Aligning high school diploma equivalency test to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and remove reference to a sole provider 4.Deferring specific test material costs to other state agencies College Route to HS Diploma 5.Updating requirements to obtain a High School Diploma through college coursework Adult High Schools 6.Modifying the standards used to monitor adult high schools to align with standards used for other high schools. Summary of Proposed Amendments 2

Formally, all of the Department’s regulations resided in N.J.A.C. 6 All other portions of chapter 6 have moved to 6A Technical Change: Recodification of Chapter 6 3 Background Proposed Amendment(s) Justification Recodify N.J.A.C.6:30 to N.J.A.C. 6A:20 Align with prior regulatory changes by moving the last chapter of N.J.A.C. 6 to 6A Recommended by the Governor’s ETTF

In 2004 programs listed in two subchapters of chapter 6 were transferred to the NJ Department of Labor and Workforce Development; Programs included: ‒Adult Basic Skills (6:30 -2) ‒Preparation for General Education Development or GED (6:30-4) Technical Change: Repealing out-of-date Sections 4 Background Proposed Amendment(s) Justification Repeal these two subchapters These repeals align the code with the transfer of responsibilities that occurred in 2004 Recommended by the Governor’s ETTF

The DOE has previously used the GED, a nationally normed test designed by the GED Testing Service/American Council on Education (ACE) and recently acquired by Pearson Vue Pearson Vue has aligned their forthcoming 2014 GED test with the Common Core State Standards (CCSS); the cost of the Pearson Vue GED is anticipated to increase Several other test makers have also created CCSS-aligned high-school equivalency tests High School Equivalency Test: Aligning Test to CCSS and Removing Reference to a Sole Provider 5 Background Proposed Amendment(s) Justification Replace specific references to the GED with generic language about high-school equivalency tests Because GED Testing Service/Pearson Vue are no longer sole providers of the test, the amendments allow the Department to select one or more test vendors to ensure that testing continues to be affordable and high-quality

Since 2007 the Department has contracted with ACE to purchase test materials for several NJ Agencies, including NJ Dept. of Corrections, NJ Dept. of Health and Human Services and Juvenile Justice Commission The contract is expiring at the end of 2013 Other test makers have created high-school equivalency tests High School Equivalency Test: Transferring Test Material Costs 6 Background Proposed Amendment(s) Justification Remove the requirement for the Department to purchase these agencies’ test materials The agencies have agreed to purchase their own test materials in the future; Test takers within each of these agencies will not have to assume costs for test materials By transferring purchasing responsibility to these agencies the Department has more freedom to chose a test vendor, or vendors, that can provide a full range of services, including both paper and computer-based testing, test scoring, archiving of test data

Historically candidates could obtain a high school diploma by acquiring 30 community college or four year college credits in specified courses. When taken at a community college, these credits count towards an associate’s degree or transfer to a four year institution Over time standards to acquire a diploma through this route deviated from the standards associated with graduation from high school College Route to Diploma: Updating Requirements 7 Background Proposed Amendment(s) Justification Align the college course requirements needed to earn a diploma more closely with the courses required for graduation from a regular high school Ensure there is one common set of high school diploma requirements Recommended by the Governor’s ETTF

Adult High Schools have been monitored under a different set of standards than traditional high schools Adult High School standards are cumbersome to monitor and inconsistent with traditional high school standards Adult High Schools: Modifying Standards for Monitoring 8 Background Proposed Amendment(s) Justification Remove the current requirement for monitoring of Adult High Schools, and require that such monitoring be done in accordance with regular rules for the Evaluation of the Performance of the School Districts (6A:30) All high schools should be held to the same standards Alleviate the burden placed on the district by the standards specific to Adult High Schools Recommended by the Governor’s ETTF