Executive Order 117, signed April 7, 2020 by Governor Phil Murphy, waives the graduation assessment requirement for any twelfth-grade student who is expected to graduate in the class of 2020 but, as of March 18, 2020, had not yet met the graduation assessment requirement. Students in the class of 2020 who have not yet met the assessment requirement must still meet all the other State and local graduation requirements, including but not limited to credit, curriculum, and attendance requirements.

Under the Executive Order, the requirement to complete the portfolio appeals process is waived. At this time, no further action is required on the part of districts or students. As a courtesy, any previously submitted portfolio appeals will be reviewed and returned to the submitting district during the summer. For students whose graduation assessment requirements are waived under this Executive Order, but who have met or will meet all other graduation requirements, districts should continue to use a School Exit Withdrawal Code of L (Graduation) in NJ SMART SID Management during the Graduation Data Student Submission period this summer. However, a new option for the English language arts (ELA) and Math Graduation Pathway indicator will be added to NJ SMART in the coming weeks that districts should use to identify students whose graduation assessments requirements were waived. Additional details and guidance for the NJ SMART SID Management submission will be provided prior to the end-of-year snapshots.

In this extraordinary time, our priority as an education agency is to ensure students are safe, healthy, and learning. The waiver of these requirements will enhance the ability of local education communities to meet the needs of their students. We sincerely thank our schools and districts for their incredible leadership and the thoughtful input which informed this decision. The NJDOE will continue to provide information as it becomes available.