On May 17, 2024, Governor Phil Murphy signed Senate Bill No. 2082 into law, which, among other things, established the New Jersey Educator Evaluation Review Task Force (Task Force).[1] The section in the law creating the Task Force became effective immediately.[2] The purpose of the Task Force is to examine the educator evaluation process, data gathering and evaluation, and recommendations relating to the annual evaluation process for teachers, principals, assistant principals, and vice principals under the Teacher Effectiveness and Accountability for the Children of New Jersey Act (TEACHNJ).[3]

The new law was enacted following recommendations issued in February 2023 by the Task Force on Public School Staff Shortages in New Jersey (Staff Shortage Task Force).[4] In order to retain and recruit teaching staff, the Staff Shortage Task Force recommended, among other things, that administrative burdens be reduced, including addressing the student growth objectives in the educator evaluation process under TEACHNJ. Therefore, the Legislature thought it appropriate to create a new Task Force to examine revisions to TEACHNJ.

The Task Force is composed of thirteen members as follows:

1. one member appointed by the President of the Senate; 
2. one member appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly;
3. one member appointed by the Governor;
4. three representatives of the New Jersey Education Association, at least two of whom shall be employed as full-time teachers in a public school in the State; 
5. three representatives of the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association, one of whom shall be employed as a principal in a public school in the State and one of whom shall be employed as a vice-principal in a public school in the State;
6. one representative appointed by the New Jersey School Boards Association;
7. one representative appointed by the New Jersey Association of School Administrators;
8. one representative appointed by the Garden State Coalition of Schools; and
9. one representative appointed by the American Federation of Teachers.[5]

Members serve without compensation but will be reimbursed for reasonable, necessary expenses to carry out their duties.[6]

The Task Force must study and evaluate the educator evaluation system under TEACHNJ, identify areas for improvement, and make recommendations to change or update the law and/or its implementing regulations.[7] In particular, the Task Force must:

1. examine the educational value, administrative burden, and impacts on teachers, principals, and vice principals of the use of student growth objectives in annual summative evaluations, and identify potential alternative approaches to the use of student growth objectives in annual summative evaluations; 
2. examine any unintended consequences of the implementation of the TEACHNJ Act;
3. review current educational research on best practices in educator evaluation in order to promote student achievement and success; and
4. present any recommendations deemed necessary and appropriate to modify or update the TEACHNJ Act and its implementing regulations to the Governor, the Legislature, the Department of Education, and the public.[8]

The Task Force was required to hold at least one public hearing to receive input;[9] that public hearing was held virtually on August 28, 2024,[10] with eighty witnesses who registered to testify.[11] The Task Force is required to issue its final report with its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature by September 30, 2024.[12] The New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) will post the final report on its website.

In addition to establishing the Task Force, the new law also created a new provision in Title 18A to address the collection of student growth objectives (SGOs). SGOs are used to evaluate the performance of teaching staff.[13] The NJDOE describes SGOs as “academic goals for students that a teacher sets with their principal or designated supervisor at the beginning of the year.”[14]

Under the new law, teachers were directed not to collect SGOs for the 2024-25 school year, and the evaluations of teachers, principals, vice principals, and assistant principals for the 2024-25 school year were to be based on SGO data from the most recent year in which SGOs were collected.[15] Starting with the 2025-26 school year, all districts must implement guidelines for the collection of SGOs consistent with the law or regulation enacted based on the findings of the Task Force.[16]  The Task Force's final report will directly impact the collection of SGOs going forward. In the interim, on July 18, 2024, NJDOE issued guidance in the form of “Frequently Asked Questions” to address SGOs for the 2024-25 school year.[17]

School officials interested in the collection of SGOs and the evaluation of teaching staff members had the opportunity to submit statements to the Task Force. Following the issuance of the Task Force’s report by September 30^th, the Legislature and/or the Commissioner will take action based on the Task Force’s recommendations to revise current law regarding the collection of SGOs. Questions regarding the new law and the collection of SGOs for the 2025-26 school year should be directed to the NJDOE and/or board attorney.