Dear Kingsway Board of Education, We are asking the Kingsway school board to take a stand in responsible leadership and advocate for our children against the proposed NJDOE graduation requirements. Ten school districts in NJ have already done this, including Princeton, East Windsor, and Washington Township. Several other districts are actively discussing resolutions. Washington Twp. even asks for full reimbursement of costs incurred to administer PARCC. Here is the link to the board resolutions: http://tiny.cosi.net/index.php/Public:Boards_of_Education:_Statements_and_Resolutions This will affect ALL of our children. If you aren't familiar with the proposed requirements, our children will not only have to pass PARCC to graduate, they will have to take it every year regardless of meeting proficiency, in order to qualify for graduation. Even after passing high school level ELA and algebra, they still have to continue to take PARCC. In addition, PARCC cut scores are set to fail the majority of students. Guess who profits off of remediation materials? Pearson. Our schools need to be FUNDED and they need to utilize programs that actually help children LEARN. We are paying an obscene amount of taxes to pay for all of this testing, and there is NO benefit to our children or our schools. Graduation rates will plummet if this is approved. Research shows that this type of policy NEGATIVELY impacts education outcomes and academic quality. Students need multiple pathways to meet graduation requirements. They should not be denied a diploma for all of the work they complete in high school because of a corporate political agenda. This is not sound education practice. The State leadership is not acting on behalf of the students, and is not listening to parents' concerns about the impact of these policies on our schools. Please sign below to let the school board know that you support a resolution in opposition of the proposed graduation requirements. Thank you, Swedesboro-Woolwich and Kingsway Parents for Public Education