ACTION REQUESTED: Before the public hearing on January 16th at 10am, please urge the House Education Committee to reject HB 1402 so we can ensure students who hold a New Hampshire high school diploma have had the opportunity to master the competencies that will help them succeed.
HB 1402 gives the Commissioner of Education the power to develop a high school proficiency exam and adopt his own rules and procedures for administering that exam. Passing this unnamed exam would also result in that student testing out of high school and receiving a “state” or local school district diploma and would also relieve any compulsory attendance requirements for a high school student. We know passing one test does not ensure students have the knowledge they need to be prepared for college or a career. New Hampshire has prided itself on striving for student competency in critical disciplines by showing they can apply their knowledge and we know tests do not necessarily prove competency. A local school district should not have to issue a diploma based on the results of a test that has yet to be developed by the Commissioner of Education.
To sign in to OPPOSE HB 1402:
1. Visit this link: House of Representatives – Online Testimony Submission
2. Enter your personal information
3. Select the hearing date – January 16
4. Select the committee – House Education Committee
5. Choose the bill – HB 1402
6. I am – A member of the public
7. Choose who you are representing – Myself
8. Indicate your position on this bill – OPPOSE
9. Upload remote testimony (Optional)
10. Review information and click submit