N.J. Stat. tit. 18A, ch. 7E

N.J. Stat. § 18A:7E-1 Findings, declarations on school report card programs

1. The Legislature finds and declares that: a. The State of New Jersey has invested more resources than virtually any other state in the nation in its students, teachers and schools, yet parents and other interested members of the community have a difficult time determining the educational results of the expenditure of their tax dollars; b. Obtaining complete and accurate information on the performance of local schools can be a difficult and confusing task and concerned individuals have no place to turn to get an objective and authoritative evaluation of their local schools; c. The establishment of school report cards would provide a simple and uniform mechanism for measuring the return on the investment which the people of this State are making in the education of their children; d. Nationally, a school report card program is recognized as an important component of the current educational reform effort; and e. The Commissioner of Education is encouraged to seek continued financial and technical support from the business and nonprofit communities for the preparation and dissemination of the report cards. L.1995,c.235,s.1.

N.J. Stat. § 18A:7E-2 School Report Card Program

2. The Commissioner of Education shall develop and administer a School Report Card Program. The program shall provide for the annual preparation and dissemination of a school report card to parents and other interested taxpayers within each local school district. In order to avoid duplication and minimize the expense of this program, the commissioner shall coordinate the school report card program with other State and federal programs that require school districts to collect and publish data. The commissioner is authorized to collect the data and to define the terms as necessary to effectuate the purposes of this act. L.1995,c.235,s.2.

N.J. Stat. § 18A:7E-3 Report card information.

3. Report cards issued pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1995, c.235 (C.18A:7E-2) shall include, but not be limited to, the following information for: a. the school district and for each school within the district, as appropriate: (1) results of the elementary assessment programs; (2) results of the Early Warning Test; (3) results of the High School Proficiency Test; (4) daily attendance records for students and professional staff; (5) student graduation and dropout rates; (6) annual student scores on the Scholastic Aptitude Test; (7) total student enrollment, percentage of limited English proficient students, percentage of students in advanced placement courses, and any other school characteristics which the commissioner deems appropriate; (8) instructional resources including teacher/student ratio, average class size and amount of instructional time per day, as calculated by formulas specified by the commissioner; (9) a written narrative by the school principal or a designee which describes any special achievements, events, problems or initiatives of the school or district; (10) data identifying the number and nature of all reports of harassment, intimidation, or bullying; (11) indicators of student career readiness; (12) the number and percentage of students who were chronically absent, as defined in rules and regulations promulgated by the Commissioner of Education within 90 days of the effective date of P.L.2018, c.23 (C.18A:38-25.1 et al.), including the number and percentage of students who were chronically absent disaggregated by multiple student subgroups to be determined by the commissioner; (13) the number, percentage, and demographics, including race, gender, disability, grade level, and eligibility for free or reduced-price lunch under the National School Lunch Program, of students who received one or more suspensions or expulsions or who were reported to or arrested by law enforcement, by category of offense, pursuant to the provisions of the Uniform State Memorandum of Agreement Between Education and Law Enforcement Officials; and (14) the number of school psychologists, school counselors, social workers, student assistance coordinators, and other mental health professionals employed by, or under contract with, the school district to provide mental health services to students, and the ratio of students to the total number of mental health professionals providing services in the school and the district; and (15) the number of school safety specialists; and b. the school district, as appropriate: (1) per pupil expenditures and State aid ratio; (2) percent of budget allocated for salaries and benefits of administrative personnel; (3) percent of budget allocated for salaries and benefits of teachers; (4) percentage increase over the previous year for salaries and benefits of administrative and instructional personnel; (5) the number of administrative personnel and the ratio of administrative personnel to instructional personnel; (6) a profile of the most recent graduating class concerning their educational or employment plans following graduation; and (7) any other information which the commissioner deems appropriate. For the purposes of this section, the Commissioner of Education shall establish a uniform methodology for the reporting of the data concerning administrative personnel on a full-time equivalent basis. L.1995, c.235, s.3; amended 2010, c.122, s.5; 2014, c.71; 2018, c.23, s.1; 2021, c.339; 2021, c.387, s.1.

N.J. Stat. § 18A:7E-4 Statewide, district averages included

4. The school report card shall include, for purposes of comparison and review, the Statewide average for each element reported by school and a comparison of the district averages for each element reported by district with the averages of school districts which have similar characteristics as defined by the commissioner. L.1995,c.235,s.4.

N.J. Stat. § 18A:7E-5 Rules, regulations

5. The State Board of Education shall adopt rules and regulations pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.) necessary to effectuate the purposes of this act. L.1995,c.235,s.5.