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‘NJ Board of Education Adopts Common Core Standards’ njspotlight.com
‘Low-performing N.J. schools with reform plans get $45M in federal grants’ Star Ledger
‘Online school enrollment grows as districts cut summer school’ Press of Atlantic City
‘45.3 million in School Improvement Grants Targeted to Improve Schools and Opportunities for Thousands of Urban Children’ NJ Dept of Education
‘NJ Board of Education Adopts Common Core Standards’ njspotlight.com
‘Low-performing N.J. schools with reform plans get $45M in federal grants’ Star Ledger
‘Online school enrollment grows as districts cut summer school’ Press of Atlantic City
‘45.3 million in School Improvement Grants Targeted to Improve Schools and Opportunities for Thousands of Urban Children’ NJ Dept of Educ.
NJ Board of Education Adopts Common Core Standards
Vote sparks debate and drama as various factions take sides on specifics of national standards
, June 17 in Education |Post a Comment
After months of talking about it, New Jersey yesterday became one of the early states to sign on to new national academic standards in language arts and math.
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But for all the attention given to the standards here and nationally, it still could be years before anything changes in what’s taught and tested in the state’s public schools -- and in some cases, if things change at all.
The state Board of Education at its monthly meeting unanimously approved a resolution that makes New Jersey the ninth state to adopt the Common Core State Standards, a thick compendium of expectations for what children in each grade should be able to do and learn.
For instance, second graders should know how to read and comprehend different forms of literature, including drama and poetry.
Seniors in high school need to be able to analyze different interpretations of the same poem or play, with Shakespeare now included as required reading.
Seen as Just a First Step
But how much the specifics of the new standards drive changes over New Jersey’s existing standards remains to be seen, especially when curricula are largely left to local districts. For example, Shakespeare is widely taught in New Jersey schools already, albeit not always explicitly required.
The most immediate impact is likely in new testing and textbooks, but even that is also only now beginning. State officials explicitly told districts this spring to hold off on new textbooks until the standards were adopted.
The testing piece by itself is being developed through its own national project, with New Jersey so far straddling the fence in terms of what model to adopt.
“This is the absolute first step,” deputy education commissioner Willa Spicer said of the standards adoption yesterday. “There are lots of ways to go from here.”
Still, New Jersey’s adoption of the Common Core State Standards did not come without considerable debate and drama, as different groups lined up for and against different pieces of the package.
The math changes drew the most heat, with warring groups vying for different emphases on foundational skills versus more discreet ones.
A long-time advocate in the latter camp wrote state board members an email late Tuesday night with concerns that the national standards were weaker than New Jersey’s and that the state board was moving too fast without soliciting more input.
And he didn’t let up last night after the vote was taken.
“Simply, this will come down to dumbing down our math instruction,” said Joseph Rosenstein, a Rutgers math professor and leader of the New Jersey Math and Science Coalition.
He maintained that the national standards have a “fanatical focus on fractions” and essentially banish statistics, probability and discreet skills to the later grades.
“They should be woven throughout the curriculum and all grade levels,” he said.
State Defends Adoption
But state officials maintained that the national standards excel in their brevity and clarity, and that having fewer standards does not mean less rigorous ones.
“When you reach high school and you aren’t able to do three-digit multiplication, that’s a real problem,” said state Education Commissioner Bret Schundler. “Part of the problem is we move students through so fast that they don’t gain that ability.”
He said the department has heard the concerns about the math standards, and others, in public hearings over the course of the last three months. “And it was not just us who didn’t agree, but neither do scholars across the country,” he said.
Still, there was some urgency to Schundler wanting the board to move on the national standards, as New Jersey’s participation will also gain it points on the pending application for $400 million in federal Race to the Top funds.
How this plays out in schools and classrooms is far from being determined, however. The language arts standards drew little debate overall, in part because many educators said that New Jersey’s standards already matched up well against them.
“Will it change much? Probably not a whole lot,” said board member Dorothy Strickland, a Rutgers professor in literacy who was a consultant on the Common Core project. “When you look across the two, we map pretty well.”
The most significant impact in any standards adoption is how they drive new state testing, but much of that remains in flux as a second project is underway to develop national test models that the states could then adopt.
It’s actually two parallel projects that are each vying for developing different models, with different emphasis on single-subject exams or general knowledge exams like New Jersey’s current ones. New Jersey so far has signed up in support of both projects to protect its interests.
A decision is likely to be due later this summer or fall, officials said, with the final tests to be developed by 2015.
“We don’t have to choose yet, so we’re siding with both,” said Spicer, the deputy commissioner. “They’re both very attractive pieces, and I think we’d get a good product in either one.”
State board members applauded the state’s adoption yesterday, saying it finally brought New Jersey and other states in line with one another.
“It’s actually historic,” said Josephine Hernandez, the board’s president. “We're not doing things in a vacuum any longer, but instead we’re now part of a greater movement of setting what American kids, not just New Jersey kids, should know and master.
“For the first time, we are speaking with one voice,” she said.
‘Online school enrollment grows as districts cut summer school’ Press of Atlantic City
The state's only public online school is preparing for a major increase in summer school enrollment as more high schools across the state cut the program from their budgets.
"More districts have been calling us," said Sister Elizabeth Dalessio, assistant superintendent of the Monmouth-Ocean Educational Services Consortium, which operates the New Jersey Virtual School, or NJVS. She said classes start in July, and students usually do not start enrolling until the end of June. This year, the calls began June 1.
Started in 2002 with about 70 students taking online summer courses, the school grew quickly and usually enrolls about 3,000 students in the summer. This year, they are planning for an additional 1,000. About 70 percent of the summer students will be making up courses they failed during the school year. The cost for the makeup courses is $350, paid for by the students. Classes run from July 8 to Aug. 11.
Districts that offer their own summer school cannot charge their students to attend, but students are charged if they attend programs outside their home district. If students cannot pay, they can retake the course during their next year in high school. A bill in the state Legislature would allow districts to charge their own students for summer school and offer reduced or free rates for low-income students.
The Virtual School's summer program offers a full range of English, history, math and science classes. Programs target high school students, but math and English classes are available for seventh- and eighth-graders.
The NJVS has about 150 public and private schools on its roster of participating institutions. They include Southern Regional and Hammonton high schools, which forward students to the NJVS in lieu of offering their own summer school. Hammonton also works with other online programs, and students can attend regular summer school in another district.
Millville offers its own summer school, and superintendent Shelly Schneider said the district also has accepted credits from the NJVS.
Dalessio said the online program is convenient for students who may work and cannot attend a regular program. The online courses are taught by certified teachers, and this year the school is hiring 100, up from 50 last year to meet the anticipated demand.
"It's a good summer job for teachers" she said. "They can do the course from anywhere. We had a teacher whose mother got sick and she went to Florida to take care of her and still taught the course."
Teachers maintain contact with students through e-mail and chat rooms that have access to a white board so teachers can demonstrate a lesson. The courses are based on New Jersey standards, and enrollment is targeted to students in New Jersey.
Dalessio said students can get access through any computer, and students without computers at home have gone online at public libraries and community colleges.
The Virtual School also offers comprehensive full-credit courses in the summer at a cost of $650. Students must get approval from their home high school guidance counselor to make sure they will get credit for the class.
During the school year, the Virtual School offers courses to as many as 500 students, including students on home instruction. The regular course offerings include four years of Latin and Chinese as well as all levels of math, English, science and social studies.
"We are developing a complete high school curriculum," Dalessio said. "We've gotten calls from schools asking us to take over an entire class. We offer AP (Advanced Placement) courses and can adapt a class to whatever level the school needs."
She said students can take the online courses at home, and some high schools will have the students take the online class together at their school during a regular class period.
For more information about the New Jersey Virtual School, visit www.njvs.org
Contact Diane D'Amico:
609-272-7241
‘Low-performing N.J. schools with reform plans get $45M in federal grants’ Star Ledger
Published: Wednesday, June 16, 2010, 9:45 PM Updated: Thursday, June 17,
TRENTON — The New Jersey Department of Education today awarded $45.3 million in federal grants to 12 persistently low-performing schools that have proposed bold plans, including four who said they will replace half of the school’s staff.
Schools in Camden, Newark, Jersey City, Roselle, Trenton and one of the Essex County Vocational campuses will receive the money to adopt one of four federally required models to reform and boost student achievement.
"After you have seven years of noncompliance (with federal mandates), something drastic has to happen to change the climate, change the culture of the school, change the learning, really influence teachers to do a better job within the classroom," said Joseph Martino, interim superintendent in Roselle, which received a grant. "This community is on the brink of change." Abraham Clark High School in Roselle will receive $3.8 million. It is one of four schools in the state which selected the "turnaround model." This requires them to replace the principal and rehire no more than 50 percent of the staff.
Seven of the 12 schools selected the "transformation model," which requires the district to replace ineffective principals, extend the school day, and boost teacher training, among other changes.
One school, Renaissance Academy High in Newark, will reopen as two independent schools.
"Some painful steps will be required to implement these bold reforms," said state Education Commissioner Bret Schundler in a statement. "But these schools are ready to break from the status quo."
Some 27 of New Jersey’s poorest performing schools — based on measurements such as test scores and graduation rates below 60 percent — applied for a chunk of the federal funds. The districts will use the money over three years.
"Today we are providing new hope and a fresh start for thousands of children who have been trapped in underperforming schools," said Schundler.
Newark applied for grants for 10 schools and received about $22 million for improvements at Shabazz High, Central High, Renaissance Academy High, West Kinney Alternative and Dayton Street Elementary schools.
"Some painful steps will be required to implement these bold reforms," Schundler said. "But these schools are ready to break from the status quo."
Daniel Gohl, executive officer for innovation and change in Newark Public Schools, said the district was disappointed the state funded only half of its applications but pleased to move forward on the five that did receive grants.
"Newark Public Schools and the Newark community have come together to acknowledge that the level of student achievement is not where it needs to be," Gohl said. "We are engaging in sustained and committed efforts to raise student achievement."
Several districts will begin the process by meeting with the state Department of Education next week.
"We’re taking a risk, but it’s something that needs to be done," said Roselle Board of Education President Kerry Pogue-Napoleon. "I have parents saying we’re not providing a quality education for our children. I’m hoping we can change that. I know that we can."
The grant program for failing schools is part of the Obama administration’s push for education reform in schools around the country. Other initiatives have included an effort to develop nationwide academic standards and a federal competition, known as Race to the Top, that encourages state to adopt teacher merit pay initiatives and revamp tenure.
Race to the Top became controversial when Gov. Chris Christie publicly accused Schundler of making too many concessions to the NJEA, the state’s powerful teacher union, on the application’s key points — teacher tenure and merit pay.
The New Jersey Education Association, the state’s largest teachers’ union, did not respond to requests for comment.
By Kristen Alloway and Jeanette Rundquist/The Star-Ledger
»NJDOE News
For More Information Contact the Public Information Office:
Alan Guenther, Director
Beth Auerswald
Richard Vespucci
609-292-1126
For Immediate Release: June 16, 2010
$45.3 million in School Improvement Grants Targeted to Improve Schools and Opportunities for Thousands of Urban Children
The New Jersey Department of Education today announced the award of $45.3 million in federal School Improvement Grants to help fundamentally change and improve 12 of the lowest-performing schools in New Jersey.
“Today we are providing new hope and a fresh start for thousands of children who have been trapped in underperforming schools,” said Education Commissioner Bret Schundler. “But the School Improvement Grants represent more than hope for the children – they represent a new era of accountability that political leaders across the country, from President Obama to Governor Christie, are demanding when public money is spent.”
The grant funds have been made available from the U.S. Department of Education under its School Improvement Grant (SIG) program. The program is designed to target funds to persistently lowest-achieving schools based on measurements such as poor scores on standardized tests and graduation rates below 60 percent. Thirty-two schools in New Jersey met the eligibility requirements. Twenty-seven submitted applications.
For a school to be considered for a grant, the district had to submit plans that required replacing ineffective principals and developing a redesigned curriculum. Schools were required to choose one of four models of reform provided by the U.S. Department of Education.
The grants being awarded today will be used over a three-year period. The New Jersey Department of Education plans to announce a second competition for about $28 million in federal School Improvement Grant funds during the next school year.
Transformation Model Replaces Principals
Seven of the 12 schools awarded funds selected the “Transformation Model” of reform which, under federal guidelines, requires the school to replace ineffective principals who led the school prior to the transformation.
“This model represents a rejection of business as usual,” Commissioner Schundler said. “To qualify for the funds, schools had to prove that they would make substantial changes. Districts must bring in new leaders to implement proven reforms that will break the cycle of failure in schools which have had poor student achievement scores for too many years.”
Two elementary schools in Camden, the Essex County Vocational School, three schools in Newark, and Central High School in Trenton all won grants by proposing the “Transformation Model” for reform.
Turnaround Model Requires Replacement of Principal and 50 Percent of Staff
Four schools selected the “Turnaround Model,” which, in addition to replacing the principal, requires them to rehire no more than 50 percent of the staff. The new principal must be granted sufficient control of staffing, the academic calendar and budgeting to implement a comprehensive approach to improve student outcomes, according to federal guidelines which control use of the funds.
Two schools in Jersey City, one in Newark, and one in Roselle Borough won grants by proposing the Turnaround Model.
A Renaissance in Newark
The most comprehensive reform was proposed by Renaissance Academy High School in Newark, which was awarded up to $4.6 million. Under the federal “Restart Model” proposed by the school, it will be converted from one alternative education school with 14 separate programs to two independent schools.
“Some painful steps will be required to implement these bold reforms,” said Commissioner Schundler. “But these schools are ready to break from the status quo. They know that a child’s destiny should not be determined by his or her street address. The districts say they are ready to make good on their promise to make changes and improve education for students. Governor Christie and I will be watching their progress closely and eagerly look forward to seeing positive results from this investment of public funds.”
2010 New Jersey Significant Improvement Grant Awards
|
District |
School |
Model |
Tentative Award * |
|
Camden |
U S Wiggins Elementary School |
Transformation |
$2,632,000.00 |
|
Camden |
Cramer Elementary School |
Transformation |
$2,801,000.00 |
|
Essex County Vocational |
W Caldwell Vocational |
Transformation |
$1,035,000.00 |
|
Jersey City |
Fred Martin No 41 Elementary School |
Turnaround |
$4,521,000.00 |
|
Jersey City |
Henry Snyder |
Turnaround |
$4,256,000.00 |
|
Newark |
Shabazz High School |
Turnaround |
$5,190,000.00 |
|
Newark |
Central High School |
Transformation |
$5,068,000.00 |
|
Newark |
Renaissance |
Restart |
$4,584,000.00 |
|
Newark |
West Kinney Alternative |
Transformation |
$3,974,000.00 |
|
Newark |
Dayton St Elementary School |
Transformation |
$3,459,000.00 |
|
Roselle Borough |
Abraham Clark High School |
Turnaround |
$3,804,000.00 |
|
Trenton |
Central High School |
Transformation |
$3,933,000.00 |
|
Total Awards |
$45,257,000.00 |
|
