New laws take on a soft spot in NJ’s strong public education system

Making sure more New Jersey students are reading at grade level is the main goal behind two pieces of legislation signed into law by Governor Phil Murphy on Tuesday.

The moves include mandatory screenings for younger students, at least twice a year.

“Recent years have brought forth many challenges for our schools and our children," Murphy said. "Understanding that strong reading skills have the potential to open countless doors for young learners, we must work together to support accelerated literacy learning in communities across the state."

Murphy signed the measures into law as part of a press conference at Park Elementary School in Newark.

In spring 2023, fewer than half of New Jersey's third-graders met or exceeded expectations on language arts assessments.

One of the new laws establishes a working group that will eventually lead to the development and publishing of guidance for school districts to use starting with the 2025-2026 school year. Also, the Department of Education will create a training program for early education teaching staff and other school workers, which will be available to all districts for free.

The same bill requires districts to conduct literacy screenings at least twice annually for students in kindergarten through third grade, starting in fall 2025. Kids' parents would have to be given the results within 30 days of the screening period.

"We are providing more than $5 million in state funding to New Jersey school districts to help them meet this requirement and deploy high-quality literacy screeners," Murphy said.

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The second law establishes an Office of Learning Equity and Academic Recovery for New Jersey. It'll be tasked with improving the Department of Education's capacity to coordinate resources and research best practices related to effective literacy and other goals.

“Reading is the cornerstone of learning and academic achievement, and if we do not intervene now, another generation of children will fail to achieve their academic and economic potential,” said Sen. Teresa Ruiz, D-Essex, a sponsor of the measures. “Early success in school significantly boosts the likelihood of students obtaining a high school diploma, pursuing higher education, and improving their future earning potential."