New Jersey

N.J. football preview, 2024: A look at Shore Conference Class A South

Published

2 years ago

August 24, 2024

The reincarnated Class A South division, an All-Ocean County league except for Howell, will have interesting matchups all season. The division features three teams that either won outright, or shared, league championships last fall – Point Pleasant Boro (co-champion in the Colonial), Jackson Memorial (co-champion in the Freedom) and Brick Memorial (outright winner in the Independence). Donovan Catholic and Toms River North finished second and third in the American Division last fall behind Red Bank Catholic. There are several natural rivalries here. Brick Memorial and Point Boro are separated by Route 70, Toms River North and Donovan Catholic by Route 37 while Jackson Memorial and Howell were Thanksgiving Day rivals for years. Making the division even more interesting is the comings and goings through the offseason. Point Boro and Brick Memorial will be breaking in new quarterbacks. Toms River North’s quarterback, TJ Valerio, was brilliant while starter Micah Ford was injured last season, but the Mariner offense still has to regroup after its two top receivers, top RB and Ford all graduated. Donovan Catholic’s brilliant runner, Najee Calhoun, transferred to Bergen Catholic. Jackson Memorial may have the Shore’s best RB in Jonah Glenn, but the Jags need to be more than a one trick pony on offense in 2024. The question, however, can anyone in the division beat two-time defending Group 5 champion, Toms River North? At least on paper, the answer is no.

Class A South

Division breakdown

Predicted order of finish

1-Toms River North; 2-Point Pleasant Boro; 3-Brick Memorial; 4-Jackson Memorial; 5-Donovan Catholic; 6-Howell.

Players to watch

Brick Memorial: Jason Lajara, QB/P, Jr.; Kevin Andrews, RB/DB, Sr.; Nazeer Whitaker, WR/DB, Jr.; Nyzir Matthews, WR/DB, Jr.; Jimmy Popp, WR, Sr.; Trey Tallmadge (TE/LB), Jr.

Joe Cunningham, DL, Sr.; Ricky Dillon, WR/DB, Jr.; AJ Ehrmantraut, LB, Sr.; Jaxon Figueora, RB/LB, Sr.; Jack Marotta, PK, So.; Erik Pedre, WR/RB/LB, Sr.; Ben Szuba, OL/DL, Sr.

Howell: Vincent Meehan, QB, Sr.; Juan DeJesus, RB, Sr.; Zach Padilla, WR, Sr.; Gavin Carr WR/TE/LB, Sr; Quincy Shaw, DB, Sr.; Ryan Cross, WR/DB, Sr.; Luke Allard, WR/PK, Sr.; Jason Borgia, WR/DB, Sr.; David Strouse, OT/DT, Sr.; Danny Robertozzi, OL/DL, Sr.; Corey Moses London, OL/DL, Sr.; Justin Diab, RB/DB/LB, Sr.

Donovan Catholic: Kyle Dow, QB, So.; Colin Johnson,WR/DB, Jr.; Ethan Nichols, RB/DB, So.; Jayden Nascimento, LB, Jr.; Luke Vernieri, RB/LB, Sr.; Michael Thomas III, WR/DB, Sr.; Kai Pritchard, OL/DL, Jr.; Isaac Corea, WR/DB, Sr.; James Aldrich, OL/DL, Sr.; Joe Czerwinski, LB/TE, Sr.; Ayden Iovino, OL, Sr.

Jackson Memorial: Ryan Nalewajko, OL, Sr.; Jacob Zapata, LB, Jr.; Ishmal Thompson, OL/DL, Sr.; Jonah Glenn, RB/DB, So.; Dennis Caswell, QB, Sr.; Harold Mee, OL/DL, Sr.; Vinnie LoPiccolo, OL/DL, Jr.; Eric Zebrowski, WR/DB, Sr.; Macus Simmelkjaer, LB, Sr.; Ajay Kabiri, WR/DB, Jr.; Jio Kabiri, LB/RB, Jr.; Matt Nice, DL, Sr.; Brock Babial, WR/DB, Sr.; Aidan Chornobroff, TE/LB, Jr.; Jayden Jones, DB, Sr.

Point Pleasant Boro: Slade Samaritano, DL, Sr.; Colin Obser, RB/LB, Sr; Dylan Reitmeyer, RB/LB, Sr. Tanner Hynes, OL/DL, Sr.; Paul Hagemeyer, OL/DL, Sr.; Jake Clayton, QB/RB/DB, So.; Nick Jankovich, DL, Sr.; Louis DiBiase, OL/DL, Sr.; Nick Spagnola, RB/DB, So.; Calvin Videon-Parino, RB/DB, Jr.; Logan Cooley, DL, Jr.; Brody Dapkins, LB, Jr.

Toms River North: Jaelyne Matthews, OL/DL, Sr.; Blaise Boland, LB, Sr.; Camryn Thomas, WR/DB, Sr.; Nasir Jackson, WR/DB, Sr.; Hathem Hooranyi, OL/DL, Sr.; Eddie Slosky, TE/LB, Sr.; Yianni Papanikolas, PK/TE, Sr.; Colin Keating, OL, Sr.; Hayden Moscinski, RB, Sr.; T.J. Valerio, QB, Sr.; Mordecai Ford, RB/DB, Sr.; Cole Garrison, WR/DB, So.); Jack Baker, TE/LB, So.; Brady Cicala, RB/LB, Jr.; Cam Alagna, RB/LB, Jr.; Declan Roonan, OL, Jr.; Cooper Durante, WR/DB, Jr.; Mekai Morse, WR/DB, Sr.; Tarrell Council, WR/DB, So.; Bryce Kazanowsly, TE, Jr.; Frank Bonich, DL, So.; Christian Davis-Joseph, DL, So.; Carter Tamaro, LB/PK, So.; Michael Facchini, LB/RB, Jr.; James Mauti, RB/LB, Jr.; Lucas Elias, RB/DB, So.; Alex Greene, RB/DB, So.; Zach Romano, WR/DB, Jr.; Michael Slaughter, TE/LB, Jr.; Patrick Williams, OL/DL, Fr.; Arlo Oliver, WR/DB, So.); Anthony Billotti, OL/DL, So; Wesley Tanner, RB/DB, So.); Isaiah Nash, WR/DB, So.; Logan Brill, QB, So.

Team-by-team previews

Kevin Andrews (26) of Brick Memorial with the carry during the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group 4 Semifinal between Long Branch and Brick Memorial at Brick Memorial High School in Brick Township, NJ on November 3, 2023.Richard O’Donnell | For NJ Advan

Brick Memorial

· 2023 Playoff section: North, Group 1
· Coach: Walt Currie, 18th season (97-79)
· Last season: 10-1, 1st in Independence Division, lost in Central 4 final.
·Record last three years: 10-1, 6-5, 3-7.

2024 schedule

Oct. 29: at Allentown

Sept. 6: at Brick Township

Sept. 13: vs. Howell

Sept. 20: vs. Toms River North

Sept. 27: at Donovan Catholic Oct. 4: at Southern

Oct.18: at Toms River South Oct. 25: at Jackson Memorial

What to watch for: While Brick Memorial had record-setting quarterback Connor Dietz, the key to 2023, and the finest season in program history, was defense. In 2022, Memorial gave up 302 points. In 2023, it allowed only 175. Brick Memorial not only reduced the number of big plays it allowed, it also made a critical stop now and then. Defense will again be critical for Brick Memorial as it steps up in class and teams with traditionally back-breaking, physical running games like Jackson Memorial, Point Pleasant Boro and, of course, Toms River North. Even with a new starter at QB, Jason Lajara, Memorial appears to have enough offensive weapons to be effective on offense. Lajara was a QB for the U.S. National 17U Flag Football Team. The Trey Tallmadge-led defense needs to prove it can stop the run to compete for a divisional crown.

Donovan Catholic

2023 Playoff section: Non-Public A
Coach: Dan Curcione, 8th season (48-24)
Last season: 3-6, lost in South 5 quarterfinals
Record last three years: 9-3, 6-4, 6-5

2024 schedule:

Aug. 30. at St. Augustine

Sept. 13: vs. Point Pleasant Boro

Sept. 20: vs. Howell

Sept. 27: vs. Brick Memorial

Sept. 20: at Donovan Catholic

Oct. 11: at Jackson Memorial Oct. 18: at Rumson-Fair Haven

Oct. 25: at Toms River North

Nov. 1: at Red Bank Catholic

What to watch for: Most of the talk this spring has been about the players who have left the Donovan Catholic program – RB Najee Calhoun (to Bergen Catholic), OL Louis DiBiase (to Point Boro); WR Emanuel Gerena (to Holy Spirit) and QB Zach LaBarca (to SJ Vianney). More attention should be paid to the players who stayed. While the numbers are down, Donovan still has one of the top offensive lineman in the state in Kai Stephenson and one of best wide receivers in the state in Rutgers commit, Michael Thomas III, and OL/DL James Aldrich. Opponents shouldn’t feel sorry for Donovan because the Griffins don’t feel sorry for themselves. Head coach Dan Curcione prepares as well as any coach in the state and he will get every drop out of the players he has. Donovan will be replacing a two-year starter at QB with a transfer from Brick Memorial, sophomore Kyle Dow. Jack Nascimento is the new offensive coordinator, replacing Chip LaBarca Jr. Look for Thomas to play at running back as much, if not more, than wide receiver to maximize his touches.

Howell

· 2023 Playoff section: South 5

· Coach: Bill Hill, 4th season (10-19)

· Last season: 3-6, lost in South 5 quarterfinals

· Record last three years: 6-3, 5-5, 2-7

2024 schedule:

Sept. 6: vs. Freehold Township

Sept. 13: at Brick Memorial

Sept. 20: at Donovan Catholic

Sept. 27: at Jackson Memorial Oct. 5: vs. Manalapan

Oct.10: vs. Toms River North Oct. 18: at Wall

Oct. 25: vs. Point Pleasant Boro

What to watch for: It’s been a so close, yet so far scenario the past couple of seasons for the Rebels, who finished 3-6 in 2023. Last season, it lost three games by six points – including a 21-20 setback to Wall. In 2022, Howell lost two, one-point games to Jackson Memorial and South Brunswick. There is a football adage that says the only way to win close games is to lose them first. Is this the season the Rebels graduate to winning some? Howell takes a significant step up in toughness of schedule. Last season only three teams in its division had winning records. This fall, every divisional foe had at least seven victories. The Rebels should be competitive on offense. They return starting QB, senior Vincent Meehan, who showed the ability to run and pass last fall. He had 166 rushing yards versus Wall in 2024. Also back is leading rusher Juan DeJesus and experienced receiver Vincent Padilla. While it has some holes to fill on defense, Howell has always been solid under head coach Bill Hill. Howell’s success will be determined by how it fares up front in a division with physical line play is a must.

Jackson Memorial

2023 Playoff section: South 4
Coach: Vinnie Mistretta, 8th season (41-27)
Last season: 7-2, lost in South 5 quarterfinals
Record last three years: 7-2, 7-3, 3-6

2024 schedule

Aug. 30. vs. North Brunswick

Sept. 6: at Long Branch

Sept. 13: at Toms River North

Sept. 20: at Point Pleasant Boro

Sept. 27: vs. Howell Oct. 11: at Jackson Memorial Oct. 4: at Middletown South

Oct. 11: vs. Donovan Catholic

Oct. 18: vs. Brick Township

What to watch for: Those players who have waited in line for their turn to be starters will get the chance this season with the Jags’ coaching staff filling holes all over the place. How those newcomers do will be determined by the end of September. The Jaguars, who were 7-2 last season, open with telling, four-game stretch to open 2024 with Big Central heavyweight North Brunswick followed by three, consecutive road games against opponents expected to contend for division titles – Long Branch, Toms River North and Point Boro. Jackson Memorial returns one of the states finest running backs, sophomore and 1,500-yard rusher Jonah Glenn. Jackson knows what it has in Glenn, but so does every team on its schedule. Along with offensive line play, the development of senior QB Dennis Caswell is a key in 2024. Caswell was only a 46 percent passer last fall. Jackson needs Caswell to be efficient, not spectacular. Accuracy on short- and mid-range passes will decrease numbers in the box. The Jackson defense will be short on veterans, but not on ability.

Point Pleasant Boro

2023 Playoff section: South 2

Coach: Brian Staub, 7th season (36-21)

Last season: 9-2, lost in South 5 quarterfinals

Record last three years: 9-2, 9-1, 10-2

2024 schedule

Aug. 30. vs. Steinert

Sept. 6: @Rumson-Fair Haven

Sept. 13: @Donovan Catholic

Sept. 20: vs. Jackson Memorial

Sept. 27: vs. Toms River North Oct. 5: vs. Colts Neck Oct.11: at Brick Memorial

Oct. 18: vs. Manasquan Oct. 25: at Howell

What to look for: Any team hoping to defeat Point Pleasant Boro this fall will need to win the game in the trenches. The Panthers return a ton of experience up front on both sides of the ball, which should make breaking in a first-time starting quarterback far less concerning for head coach Brian Staub. Either senior Mike Ollendorf or three-sport star, sophomore Jake Clayton will be handed the keys to Staub’s super funky, flexbone, double-wing, option offense – one of the most difficult to defend in the Shore Conference. Tanner Hynes and Paul Hagemeyer are powerful and experience centerpeices on the offensive and defensive lines. After he completes his mandatory 30-day, Lou Dibiase, another muscle-bound lineman and a transfer from Donovan Catholic, will add even more power up front. Nicholas Jankovich will see more time on the line as well. On defense, leading tackler Colin Obser is back along with Dylan Reitmeyer at linebacker.

Toms River North

2023 Playoff section: South 5
Coach: Dave Oizerowitz, 12th season (81-40)
Last season: 7-2, lost in South 5 quarterfinals
Record last three years: 12-2, 14-0, 6-4.

2024 schedule:

Aug. 30. at Downingtown East, Pa.

Sept. 6: vs. Toms River East

Sept. 13: vs. Jackson Memorial

Sept. 20: at Brick Memorial

Sept. 27: at Point Pleasant Boro Oct. 4: vs. Toms River South Oct. 10: at Howell

Oct. 18: at Southern

Oct. 25: vs. Donovan Catholic.

What to look for: Does Toms River North return the state’s finest and most dangerous quarterback? Does North return two dynamic, big-play wide receivers, who make it first and goal from anywhere? Does North return a 1,000-yard rusher? The answer to all three questions is no. However, that doesn’t make Toms River North any less capable or dangerous than its been the last two seasons when it went 26-2 and established itself as the best public school program in New Jersey. North returns QB T.J. Valerio, who steps into the biggest job opening anywhere. Valerio proved himself as a leader, passer and turned out to be a better runner than anyone expected. Mordecai Ford, one of the state’s fastest players, steps in at running back, and Camryn Thomas, a reserve last season, should be a featured member of the receiving corps. Even with 335-pound, two-time, First-Team All-State offensive tackle, Jaelyne Matthews, North will not be as bulky up front. However, the group still has the potential to be dominant. The are plenty of players, who waited in line the last two years, ready to take their shots. North also has players from an undefeated, and gigantic freshmen team, in the wings. Last year, opposing defenses knew which player was getting the ball 90 percent of the time. This season, they won’t – at least at the start. North opens against Downingtown East (Pa.). Downingtown, the preseason No. 13 in Pennsylvania, lost its season-opener to North Penn , 28-25. Downingtown was 11-1 last season with eight shutouts.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription.

The N.J. High School Sports newsletter now appears in mailboxes 5 days a week. Sign up now!

Joe Zedalis covers Shore Conference football for NJ.com. He can be reached at jzedalis@njadvancemedia.com.

Follow us on social: Facebook | Instagram | X (formerly Twitter)

Source link

New Jersey

The first of Paramus’ three big mall makeovers is nearly complete

Published

10 hours ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

The first of Paramus’ three big mall makeovers is nearly complete

One of three massive redevelopment projects at Paramus’ biggest shopping malls will finish construction this summer. Another will have to wait until 2027.

The two projects will bring hundreds of apartments and thousands of feet of additional retail space to Bergen Town Center and Paramus Park Mall, two of Bergen County’s biggest retail destinations. Both projects are the work of Carlstadt-based Russo Development LLC, which is also building a new headquarters in the borough.

The biggest mall redevelopment in town — a multiyear plan that could bring as many as 1,400 homes to Westfield Garden State Plaza — is also underway under the direction of a different developer. That project is expected to hold an official groundbreaking in the coming weeks.

The construction is “an opportunity for affordable housing to get built, which is certainly a big priority for almost every municipality in New Jersey right now,” Russo Development CEO Ed Russo said in a recent interview. He credited borough officials for making sure “there was additional investment and vibrance that was being added” to Paramus’ commercial center.

Paramus Park housing almost done

First in line for completion is Vermella Paramus, two mixed-use buildings with 360 one-, two- and three- bedroom apartments under construction next to the Paramus Park Mall, west of the Garden State Parkway.

The project will also have 8,000 square feet of onsite retail space. It will be built adjacent to the mall and the new Valley Hospital, according to a description on the company’s website.

One of the buildings will be finished next month, while the second is scheduled to finish construction in June, Russo said last week.

Bergen Town Center project has new name, timeline

The developer, alongside KRE Group, also plans to build two five-story buildings with 426 units and 5,000 square feet of retail at Bergen Town Center, off of Route 4. The project will be called Bergen Chapters, Russo said.

The housing will include 147 one-bedroom apartments to be sold at market rate and another 12 reserved as affordable. The project will also have 1,572 parking spaces, including lots from other areas of the mall property and two parking garages.

A building on the east side of the Bergen Town Center property that currently contains a former Kirkland’s, Red Robin and Recreational Equipment Inc will be knocked down for the project. Recreational Equipment Inc. closed in late January, so the property has only become vacant in the last month, said Russo. He expects the work to finish in late 2027.

Story continues after gallery.

Living at the mall

Paramus’ three big projects fueled speculation that other shopping centers in North Jersey would follow the example, as mall owners looked for ways to survive the rise of online retail.

But there hasn’t been a tremendous amount of mall redevelopment in New Jersey, Russo said.

Paramus’ situation is unique, he noted, with “three good size malls” all within the same town. Spurred in part by state affordable housing mandates, the borough council adopted zoning in 2016 that allowed for mixed-use development along its highway corridor. That was the impetus for the three mall makeovers, Russo said.

Other factors also made the borough’s commercial corridor especially suited for this type of hybrid development, he added.

“Paramus has always been considered, for many decades, as a shopping mecca between the malls, Route 17, Route 4 and the proximity to New York City,” said Russo. “It’s really been a vibrant retail community for many years.”

In addition to fulfilling affordable housing obligations, the zoning helped the borough attract new investment around the malls, boosting their long-term success, he added.

“The retail market has been affected in a larger part of New Jersey over the last number of years,” said Russo. “I think Paramus was very forward-thinking in the zoning that they did years ago.”

Source link

New Jersey

New Jersey to Use AI to Score Standardized Writing Tests

Published

22 hours ago

March 9, 2026

Press Room

New Jersey to Use AI to Score Standardized Writing Tests

(TNS) — Artificial intelligence will be used to score most of the writing New Jersey students do on the new statewide standardized tests set to debut this spring, state education officials said.

The AI system will be used to grade student essays and short answers on the English Language Arts section of the statewide exams, according to a state-approved testing proposal. The “artificial intelligence” will be trained using scores generated by human scorers on practice tests that were given to students in October and November.

New Jersey is debuting a new type of state tests — called the New Jersey Student Learning Assessments-Adaptive — this spring. It will be given to students in grades 3 through 10 to test their knowledge of English, math and science.

There will also be a new version of the state’s high school exit exam for high school juniors, now called the New Jersey Graduation Proficiency Assessment-Adaptive.

Like the previous version of the test, known as the NJSLA, the exams will be given via computer. But the new version will be “adaptive,” meaning students will get different questions based on their previous answers on the exam — a practice that is supposed to make scoring the tests more precise.

The AI system will be used to score the essays and written questions, but there will still be some human scorers, state Department of Education Spokesperson Michael Yaple said.

If a student’s written response is identified as “unusual” or “borderline” it will be “flagged for human review,” Yaple said.

“The system regularly conducts quality assurance checks to ensure that the scores assigned by the automated scoring engine match human scores through strict quality controls,” he added.

Cambium, the company overseeing the new tests, does not use generative AI — the version of artificial intelligence used in ChatGPT-type platforms that can create something new and are known to sometimes hallucinate false or inaccurate information, Yaple said.

Instead, the automated scoring system will have strict parameters “with proven consistency, and human scoring remains the foundation of the process, validating accuracy at multiple checkpoints throughout the scoring workflow,” state education officials said in a statement.

Computerized scoring of New Jersey’s state tests is nothing new. Last year, about 90 percent of student essays on the NJSLA and the state high school exit exams were scored solely by an automated scoring system, Yaple said.

But some educators have concerns about the extensive use of AI to grade the new version of the tests that will eventually be taken by nearly all of New Jersey’s 1.3 million public school students.

Using a version of AI to score student writing is risky, said Steve Beatty, president of the New Jersey Education Association, the state’s largest teachers union.

He said he would hate to see “some student fail on a computer-graded test only to find out later on that there was some sort of error.”

The NJEA is against high stakes testing in general, Beatty said. But if the tests are going to continue “then we want trained educators — humans — doing” the scoring.

If a student fails the AI-scored sections of the exams, there should be a plan to have the writing reassessed by a human, he said.

“They should go back to a person to be verified,” Beatty said.

NEW TESTING CONTRACT

New Jersey students will begin taking the new NJSLA-Adaptive exams during a month-long testing window between April 27 and May 29. The tests are usually given over several consecutive days.

The testing window for the new NJGPA-Adaptive high school exit exam for high school juniors will be from March 16 to April 1, according to a state Department of Education testing schedule.

The new statewide NJSLA and NJGPA tests were developed by Cambium Assessment, a company that won a $58.7 million, two-year contract with the state.

According to the Cambium proposal, Measurement Incorporated, a company located in Durham, North Carolina, will be responsible for providing and training the people who will do the human “handscoring” when AI-generated essay and written response scores are flagged for review.

In its proposal to the state, Cambium said the company assumes “25 percent of the overall responses will be routed for trained handscoring.”

New Jersey officials said AI was not used to create test items on the new version of the tests and artificial intelligence will not be used to determine which questions students see on the adaptive assessments.

Jeffrey Hauger, who served as director of assessments for the state Department of Education from 2010 to 2018, said New Jersey has a long history of using computers to help score the written portion of state tests. He later worked as an adviser to Pearson, the company that previously had the contract to provide the state NJSLA tests.

Around 2016, Hauger said the state started implementing a system that used one human and one automated scorer to assess each piece of student writing.

If a large discrepancy between the two scores was found, the essay would be read by a second human, he said.

“It was a tool for efficiency, but the human was always involved throughout the process back then,” Hauger said.

AI scoring is now more sophisticated, he said.

“Technology has improved. And so, it’s not as big of a leap now as maybe people think it is,” Hauger said.

During Gov. Phil Murphy’s time in office, the department started relying more on automated scoring and moving away from having each piece of writing evaluated by both a machine and a human, he said.

FLAGGING PROBLEMS

AI scoring has been controversial in other states.

In Massachusetts, AI grading errors were blamed for 1,400 incorrect scores on the state’s Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System, known as the MCAS, last year.

In Texas, several districts questioned whether AI grading was fair on its statewide tests in recent years.

The Dallas Independent School District has challenged thousands of AI generated essay scores on Texas’ statewide STAAR standardized tests over the past two years.

Cambium and Pearson, the companies involved in New Jersey’s testing, both contributed to Texas’ standardized testing system.

In 2024, the Dallas school district asked the state to rescore 4,600 tests, sending them to the state to be rescored by humans.

About 44 percent of the rescored tests came back with higher scores after a human read them, said Jacob Cortez, Dallas’ assistant superintendent in charge of evaluation and assessment.

The district also sent thousands of AI-scored tests for rescoring last year and nearly 40 percent came back with higher scores from humans, the district said.

The accuracy rate for the AI-scored third grade tests was the most troubling, with 85 percent of those sent back showing an improved score when humans read the students’ work.

“That is not okay,” Cortez said.

The Dallas school district, which serves about 139,000 students, limited the number of tests it sent back for rescoring because it had to pay $50 for each test that did not receive an improved score, local officials said.

Cambium officials did not respond to requests for comment about the Dallas accuracy issues or the company’s AI scoring practices.

New Jersey officials declined to comment on questions about AI scoring accuracy in other states.

“New Jersey cannot comment on another state’s assessment and scoring process,” Yaple said.

Lily Laux, New Jersey’s new commissioner of education, also did not respond to a request to comment. In her previous job as Texas’ deputy commissioner of school programs, she helped design the state’s standardized testing system, according to her LinkedIn profile.

The problems with AI scoring in Dallas raise questions about the system, said Scott Marion, principal learning associate at the Center for Assessment, a nonprofit, nonpartisan consulting firm.

“Is it not being trained well? Is it not being trained on a diverse enough population?” Marion asked.

AI scoring makes financial sense but states also need to be careful not to overly rely on it, he said. He’s comfortable with about 80 percent AI-scored writing because systems still need human backups.

“We’ve been doing this for so long,” he said referring to the use of AI to score student writing.

Many students, teachers and parents may be surprised to know how much of writing in school is already scored by AI, education advocates said.

Many “parents have no idea this is a thing,” said Julie Borst, executive director of community organizing for Save Our Schools New Jersey, a statewide advocacy group.

She is concerned that students with unique writing styles might end up with lower scores on tests because AI is looking for specific words and phrases or a standard number of sentences for top scores.

Borst, whose organization has long-opposed high stakes standardized testing, said in the end, it will still be up to teachers to know where students are doing well and where they are struggling.

“The teacher is going to know where those weaknesses are. They’re going to know where those strengths lie,” she said. “You cannot tell that — at the student level — from a standardized test.”

Source link

New Jersey

NJ’s new budget is coming. How will state finances affect your taxes?

Published

1 day ago

March 9, 2026

Press Room

NJ’s new budget is coming. How will state finances affect your taxes?

3-minute read

Gov. Mikie Sherrill is set to present her first state budget proposal in a Tuesday, March 10, address to the New Jersey Legislature. It’s clear the proposal will make some hard choices as state finances face major headwinds.

Late last month, Sherrill said her budget plan will include some “tough choices” because of the looming uncertainty of a structural deficit for state finances.

The governor explained that if projections stay on the current path, the state would have a structural deficit of about $3 billion by the end of June, when her proposed budget would be in the final stages of negotiations with the Legislature.

Uncertainty due to federal funding cuts, along with the end of pandemic relief funding, has already forced Sherrill to consider all of her options when crafting her plan for New Jersey’s fiscal year 2027.

The governor wouldn’t give particulars about what to expect in her upcoming fiscal plan but instead said she is “setting the table so people can anticipate that this is going to be a tough budget season.”

What does a structural deficit mean for New Jersey taxpayers?

A structural deficit, simply put, means New Jersey spends more than it earns.

Among the costliest tax relief programs in the state’s history, Stay NJ was introduced legislatively in the run-up to the fiscal year 2024 budget and received funding for three years without paying anything out.

The first Stay NJ checks are being sent out to qualifying New Jersey seniors, but the accumulated $1.2 billion covers only the first six months of the program for this year. Roughly $900 million will need to be added to the line item in Sherrill’s first fiscal plan to maintain the program.

The law that created Stay NJ requires full pension payments, full school funding payments and a surplus of at least 12% to be built into the budget as prerequisites for funding the program. The surplus was not 12% when the budget was signed during the last two years, but budget language allowed for a work-around.

Sherrill would not commit to requiring the prerequisites before she would be willing to sign a budget bill in late June.

Increasing costs for the State Health Benefits Program, which is already a contentious topic, could also be a concern for the new governor, as payments are about $2 billion annually and the 10% increase needed in this year’s budget added more than $180 million.

How does New Jersey’s budget process work?

New Jersey’s $58.8 billion budget for fiscal year 2026 is the largest in history and is set to expire at the end of June.

The plan for fiscal year 2027 — which will run from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027 — is a major factor in how New Jersey state government will function by dictating which state departments and programs are funded.

After Sherrill’s address in March, her proposed spending and revenue plan will be analyzed and shaped in the Legislature through the spring. Negotiations will heat up as the current fiscal year winds to a close in June. If the budget cycle is normal, a final budget bill will land on Sherrill’s desk hours before the current fiscal year ends at 11:59 p.m. on June 30.

Though it would be unlikely — given Democratic control of both chambers of the Legislature and the governor’s office — in the event the budget bill does not get signed, state government shuts down. There have been two shutdowns in state history: for 10 days in 2006 and three days in 2017.

Katie Sobko covers the New Jersey Statehouse. Email: sobko@northjersey.com

Source link