ASSEMBLY, No. 153

 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

 

Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel

 

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 1996 SESSION

 

 

By Assemblywoman CRUZ-PEREZ and Assemblyman ROBERTS

 

 

An Act concerning the testing of students of limited English-speaking ability and supplementing P.L.1974, c.197 (C.18A:35-15 et seq.).

 

    Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

 

    1. Notwithstanding the provisions of P.L.1979, c.241 (C.18A:7C-1 et seq.) or any other law, rule or regulation to the contrary, a student of limited English-speaking ability who is identified as such pursuant to P.L.1974, c.197 (C.18A:35-15 et seq.) shall not be required to take any diagnostic, standardized, Statewide, or district-wide test in English which has not been designed or normed for non-native speakers of English until the student has been in a State-approved program for at least two academic years, except that the student may be given the option of taking any test in English, or may be required to take a standardized test or undergo other assessment in the native language of the student in order to measure certain abilities or general academic progress.

 

    2. This act shall take effect immediately.

 

 

STATEMENT

 

    This bill provides that a student of limited English-speaking ability may not be required to take any diagnostic, standardized, Statewide, or district-wide test in English which has not been designed or normed for non-native speakers of English until the student has been in a State-approved program for at least two academic years.

    The bill gives a student of limited English-speaking ability the option of taking any test in English. However, the student may be required to take a standardized test or undergo other assessment in the native language of the student in order to measure certain abilities or general academic progress.


 

Provides that student of limited English-speaking ability shall not be required to take certain tests.