ASBURY PARK PRESS :: MONMOUTH EDITION

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05.10.15

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DOES OPTING OUT

= FALLING BEHIND?
PARCC TESTING

Children
could be
overlooked
for gifted
classes or
extra help
without
test data

ASBURY PARK PRESS FILE PHOTO

Automakers are protesting possible changes

to New Jerseys Franchise Practices Act.

Rough
road for
auto bill
MICHAEL L. DIAMOND @MDIAMONDAPP

Executives from seven automakers

are urging New Jersey lawmakers to
scuttle a bill that would put their companies on the line for bigger penalties if
they violate their contracts with car
dealers.
The executives said if the changes to
the states Franchise Practices Act pass,
it will make it more expensive for them
to sell cars in the Garden State, with consumers ultimately picking up the tab.
This bill is the most onerous and in
our view the most anti-consumer franchise bill that weve seen, said Dan
Gage, a spokesman for the Alliance for
Automobile Manufacturers, a Washington, D.C., trade group.
The battle is the latest chapter in an
industry that is going through a shakeup
in New Jersey. Mercedes-Benz in January said it would move its longtime
North American headquarters from
Montvale to Atlanta, putting a crack in
the states claim as the East Coast hub for
carmakers.
In the meantime, New Jersey lawmakers last year allowed Tesla to bypass
dealers and sell directly to consumers,
this after rival dealers convinced the
Christie administration to enforce existing state law that required automakers
to sell through dealers.
See AUTOS, Page 7A

JAMES WARREN/ GANNETT ILLUSTRATION

KALA KACHMAR @NEWSQUIP

ome June, parents of 49,000 students who refused PARCC tests this

Its important

year will breathe a sigh of relief and put the controversial tests be-

that we gather as

hind them. They may not realize, though, their childrens academic

much

future may be at risk. h Not having the test results means students

information so no

could be overlooked for chances to advance to gifted and talented

child is invisible

programs or get the help they need for their studies, especially in an education

to us.

culture that relies so heavily on standardized testing. Experts say Americans

BARI ERLICHSON

are tested more than students in other countries, despite being so far behind
the rest of the world in math. h Theres a disadvantage for a student in the
system who continues not to be a part of the assessments, said Bari Erlichson,

ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER OF
DATA, RESEARCH, EVALUATION
AND REPORTING FOR THE NEW
JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF
EDUCATION

assistant commissioner of data, research, evaluation and reporting for the

This bill is the most onerous and in
our view the most anti-consumer
franchise bill that weve seen.

See TESTS, Page 8A

DAN GAGE

Students share their thoughts on PARCC. 9A

SPOKESMAN FOR THE ALLIANCE FOR AUTOMOBILE

MANUFACTURERS, A WASHINGTON, D.C., TRADE GROUP

Why Finland has fewer tests and smarter kids. 9A

NORTH KOREA TRUMPETS TEST OF SUBMARINE BALLISTIC MISSILE PAGE 1B

And
theyre off!
Catch all the opening day
Monmouth Park action.
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VOLUME 136
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