Graduation Requirements - Class of 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019

Update on PARCC and Graduation Requirements 

Recently the New Jersey State Board of Education approved the threshold score points (‘cut points’) to define the performance levels in the PARCC assessment program.

Below you will find the newly updated list of assessments and their various score points that members of the classes of 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 can use to demonstrate that they have met the competency testing requirements needed for a regular high school diploma with the appropriate threshold scores for PARCC assessments included. (Special Education students, whose Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) specify an alternative way to demonstrate proficiency, will continue to follow the graduation requirements set forth in their IEPs.)

Going out in the mail today are the individual test reports for the students that took the PARCC assessment last year. Here is a copy of my cover letter regrading the student reports.

To meet the graduation requirement through the PARCC assessment, students need to score the following:

• In ELA9 and ELA10, the threshold score corresponds to the “Meeting Expectations” performance level (Score of a 4 or 5).
• In ELA11, the threshold score corresponds to the “Approaching Expectations” performance level (Score of a 3, 4, or 5).
• In Algebra I, the threshold score corresponds to the “Meeting Expectations” performance level (Score of 4 or 5)
• In Geometry and Algebra II, the threshold scores correspond to the “Approaching Expectations” performance level (Score of a 3, 4, or 5).

In addition to the PARCC Assessment, students can meet the graduation requirement by demonstrating competency in one of the alternative assessments approved by the NJDOE in both English Language Arts and Math. See chart below.

(Updated Chart which includes new cut scores for 2015 PSAT)

Note: * SAT taken prior to March 2016; ** PSAT taken prior to October 2015; ***PSAT taken after October 2015. The College Board will establish new ‘threshold scores’ in May 2016 for the new SAT.

Parent PARCC Resources

Parent Guide to the PARCC Assessment Score Report
SAMPLE Grade 10 Assessment Report, 2014–2015
SAMPLE Geometry Assessment Report, 2014–2015
NJDOE PARCC Resources