This bill requires New Jersey's State Board of Education to reinstate the ASVAB-AFQT (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery-Armed Forces Qualifying Test) as an approved alternative assessment for meeting high school graduation requirements. It directly affects public high school students who need to demonstrate proficiency in state standards, allowing them to use the ASVAB-AFQT score instead of the standard graduation test. The bill adds ASVAB-AFQT back to the list of approved "substitute competency tests" that were previously removed from the 2024-2025 graduation pathways. This change provides students with an additional, standardized option to prove they meet graduation standards without needing to retake the state test.
This resolution urges the New Jersey State Board of Education to require school districts to incorporate financial literacy instruction into existing mathematics and social studies classes, rather than creating new separate courses. It directly affects school districts by directing them to integrate practical skills like budgeting, debt management, and savings planning into current curricula. The resolution emphasizes this approach reduces administrative burden while ensuring students learn critical financial topics aligned with existing state standards. It is a non-binding recommendation, not a law, and does not impose new graduation requirements.
This bill requires every New Jersey public school with a library to post a complete, up-to-date list of all library resources - such as books, magazines, DVDs, and digital databases - on its public website in an easily accessible location. Schools must add any newly purchased or ordered resources to the list within 10 days. The school library media specialist is responsible for maintaining the list, or if no specialist exists, the principal must assign a staff member to handle it. The law takes immediate effect upon enactment.
This bill would cancel New Jersey's 2020 health and physical education standards and prohibit the State Board of Education from creating new state-level standards in these subjects. It requires each local school district to form a Parental Advisory Committee (made of parents/guardians) to help develop new curriculum standards, with public meetings and online posting of recommendations. Within 180 days of enactment, districts must adopt new standards that include mandatory suicide prevention education and organ donation information for students. The bill shifts authority for setting health education standards from the state to local school boards.
This bill would have required New Jersey public school districts to teach cursive handwriting to students in kindergarten through fifth grade, with a specific goal for students to read and write cursive legibly by the end of third grade. It mandated that school curricula include activities and materials to develop these skills, citing potential cognitive and literacy benefits. The bill was introduced in January 2026 but was withdrawn the same day after being approved as part of a prior law (P.L.2025, c.284), meaning it never became law. It directly affected all public elementary schools and their curriculum planning. The bill's provisions would have taken effect for the first full school year following enactment.
This bill (A 3819) requires all New Jersey 11th grade students to complete a mandatory United States civics course starting in the 2023-2024 school year as part of their high school graduation requirements. The course must cover democratic principles, U.S. government, and New Jersey's state, county, and municipal governments to prepare students for civic participation. Local school boards must provide the course, and the State Board of Education must ensure it is included in graduation requirements. The policy directly affects all public high school students in 11th grade across New Jersey.
This bill requires all New Jersey high school students pursuing a state-endorsed diploma to complete a one-semester financial literacy course. It directly affects high school students by mandating curriculum covering budgeting, savings, credit, debt, taxes, college financial planning, banking, and consumer skills. The course must be taught by teachers with appropriate endorsements and cannot be satisfied by existing economics or business courses. The requirement applies to students entering 12th grade in the 2027-2028 school year.
ACR 107 is a non-binding resolution urging the New Jersey Department of Education to pause the development and implementation of new Student Learning Standards for two years. It directly affects the Department of Education and State Board of Education by requesting a temporary halt to creating new standards, while pending legislative bills about curriculum and learning loss are reviewed. The resolution cites parent concerns about current standards, pandemic-related learning loss, and declining U.S. education rankings as reasons for the pause. It does not change existing standards but asks for a two-year moratorium to allow the Legislature to address related issues.
This bill repeals P.L.2021, c.32, which required New Jersey public school districts to incorporate diversity and inclusion instruction into K-12 curricula as part of the state's learning standards. It removes the mandate for schools to provide this specific type of curriculum content. The repeal takes immediate effect, eliminating the requirement for schools to include such instruction in their teaching. The bill directly affects public school districts and their curriculum planning for all students in kindergarten through 12th grade.
This bill establishes a three-year pilot program for school-based mentoring in New Jersey public schools located within 1,000 feet of where gunfire occurred in the prior school year (a "crisis zone"). It directly affects kindergarten through third-grade students at risk for mental health issues or substance abuse, targeting improvements in their emotional resilience, social skills, and behavior. The program requires participating schools to use a weekly, 25-minute one-on-one mentoring curriculum focused on monitoring emotions, building coping skills, and maintaining emotional control, with schools selecting mentors and evaluating student progress at three intervals. After the pilot, the Commissioner of Education must report on whether the program could be expanded statewide.
