Just as Governor Phil Murphy promised, changes are coming to PARCC, including the name. Although Murphy wanted to eliminate the test completely, he has been unable to deliver. He says it is a “multistep” plan, and it will probably take until at least the 2020-2021 school year for a replacement to the PARCC test. “They don’t want to have a rushed situation,” said state Education Commissioner Lamont Repollet.

  Two proposed changes will be voted on by the New Jersey Board of Education in January.

  The first proposed change deals with the name of the test. The test will now be called the New Jersey Student Learning Assessments, and math or english language arts will be added to the name depending on the particular test (NJSLA- M or ELA).

  The major change of the two is the second proposed change. Freshman and sophomores will be required to take the ELA tests and either the Algebra I, Algebra II, or Geometry test, depending on what math course they are enrolled in. Juniors will not be required to take the test, even if they are enrolled in one of the three math courses. In other words, juniors will no longer have to take the PARCC.

Juniors who failed the PARCC will be able to pass the SAT or ACT to fulfil the graduation requirement.

  Alongside these changes, the test will be shortened. The test will consist of only four units compared to the previous six, and the total test time will be cut from eight to six hours.

  These changes still have to be voted on and approved, but “if they pass them in January, then they will be applied for this school year,” said Mr. Susko, head of the guidance department.

  If all goes well in Trenton in January, come this spring, there will be a shorter test for freshman and sophomores and no test for juniors.