Court strikes down high school graduation test requirements

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - A New Jersey appellate court has struck down a requirement that students must pass two state exams before they can graduate high school.

The unanimous decision was made public Monday but won't take effect for 30 days. It invalidates the state Department of Education's requirement that students must pass standardized exams --commonly known as the PARCC tests -- in Algebra I and English.

The three-judge panel found the requirement -- which was approved in 2016 and was due to take effect with the class of 2020 -- doesn't match a state law that requires students to pass just a single test in 11th grade in order to graduate.

State Education Commissioner Lamont Repollet said his agency and the state attorney general's office are assessing their next steps while aiming to minimize the impact on students.