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Committee extends pause on SGO collection, moves amended A5077
Summary
Lawmakers advanced A5077 to extend a pause on collecting Student Growth Objective and administrator‑goals data, citing task‑force recommendations and concerns that SGOs had become paperwork burdens; members urged restructuring and safeguards to maintain student‑growth accountability.
The Assembly Education Committee voted to amend and release Assembly bill A5077, which extends a statutory pause on the collection of Student Growth Objective (SGO) data and adds a pause for administrator goals data while rulemaking and task‑force recommendations are implemented.
Testimony from the New Jersey Education Association and the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association described SGOs as having become a predominantly paperwork compliance exercise in some districts. Francine (Fran) Pfeffer of NJEA and Debbie Bradley of the Principals and Supervisors Association told the committee that a recently convened task force issued recommendations to streamline evaluation: merging professional development plans with SGOs, reducing duplicative goals, and preserving student‑growth as an evaluation component while cutting administrative burden.
Committee members debated whether implementation problems were the result of statutory design or local compliance practices. Some members urged that any restructuring retain a statutory requirement that student growth be part of evaluations to preserve accountability, while others argued the process has driven educators out of the profession and needs more substantive change.
Vote: The committee adopted amendments and voted to release A5077 so the pause and recommended structural reforms can be considered in future rulemaking and legislative steps.
Quote: Debbie Bradley, New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association: “The task force recommended merging those processes so there will be less of them…you’ll still be accountable for personal goals…but it won’t be this huge onerous administrative paperwork process.”
Next steps: The amended bill extends the pause and directs further work by the Department of Education and stakeholder groups to develop streamlined evaluation approaches.
