WHEN THE Assembly unanimously approved a bill Thursday to create a policy allowing students to opt out of taking the new standardized PARCC test, they overreacted to recent parental pushback on the tests instead of showing conscientious leadership. 

The Senate should exercise restraint and keep the bill from advancing, rather than legislating New Jersey out of a test before the first results can even be evaluated. 

Changes are coming and that may scare some parents. But change doesn’t have to be bad. The state may ultimately decide that PARCC is not helping. Or it may find it to be incredibly beneficial. We don’t know yet. For now, legislators should remain hands off on the tests. (See here.)