Gov. Chris Christie signed legislation on Nov. 9 that prohibits his state, New Jersey, from imposing financial sanctions on schools with high percentages of students choosing not to take state exams.

State Sen. Nia Gill, a Democrat, introduced the bill after state Education Commissioner David Hespe said in April that schools could be put on corrective action plans or lose funding if too many students skipped the exams.

“While we do not have control over the federal government, we can assure that our state funding that we send to Trenton, the taxpayers’ money, is not withheld,” Gill said.

Federal law mandates that schools have a 95 percent participation rate on annual standardized tests. Overall, about 6 percent of New Jersey’s nearly 800,000 students opted not to take the state exams, including 15 percent of 11th-graders.

Christie also signed a bill that protects students in kindergarten through 2nd grade from any future expansion of standardized testing.

The state’s largest teachers union, the New Jersey Education Association, applauded the new laws. “Educators and parents are united in their determination to free our schools from the grip of testing mania,” NJEA President Wendell Steinhauer said. “Today, we took two important steps forward.”

NJ.com, Nov. 9