| ||||||||||||
NJ Spotlight - Reform Bill Could Reshape Landscape for Charter-School Approvals...Local say would be increased, single authority would weigh applications statewide ‘…Singleton called his proposal a compromise that came out of consultations with other Assembly members, including state Assemblyman Patrick Diegnan (D-Middlesex), the chair of the Assembly education committee. Diegnan had pursued the local vote requirement. “Right now, the public’s voice is silent,” Singleton said yesterday. “Why don’t we say that it represent 30 percent (of the decision)? I saw this as a middle ground.” Singleton’s bill would make some other big adjustments in the application process…’
Star Ledger - NJ State Board of Education hears proposed changes to science, preschool standards ‘…Several board members at the meeting in Trenton cheered the proposed science standards and the connection to critical thinking and problem-solving skills driven by the Common Core language arts and math standards.
"The connections are so obvious," a board member, Dorothy Strickland, said. "You’re really teaching not just to the science facts, but the notion of taking a particular idea and dissecting it. I’m so glad to see this..."’
NJ Spotlight - Reform Bill Could Reshape Landscape for Charter-School Approvals
John Mooney | May 23, 2014
Local say would be increased, single authority would weigh applications statewide ‘…Singleton called his proposal a compromise that came out of consultations with other Assembly members, including state Assemblyman Patrick Diegnan (D-Middlesex), the chair of the Assembly education committee. Diegnan had pursued the local vote requirement. “Right now, the public’s voice is silent,” Singleton said yesterday. “Why don’t we say that it represent 30 percent (of the decision)? I saw this as a middle ground.” Singleton’s bill would make some other big adjustments in the application process…’
Long-awaited legislation that would rewrite the state’s charter school law, including a new proposal for easing the tug-of-war over local say in the application process, was introduced yesterday by state Assemblyman Troy Singleton.
The Camden County Democrat, a charter-school supporter who has been influential in the Legislature’s ongoing charter debates, had been expected to file the bill to overhaul the state’s nearly 20-year-old law and had been circulating a draft version for the last month.
Related Links
Singleton-Garcia bill (A-3226)
But the bill that he and state Assemblyman Carmelo Garcia (D-Hudson) finally ended up introducing yesterday had some significant changes from the original draft, most notably a provision that would give local school boards more say than ever over the approval of new charter schools.
Under the bill, 30 percent of the criteria for the state approving a new charter would be the vote of the local school board. Singleton’s initial bill had only included requirements for public hearings, and Singleton has often said he would oppose a binding local vote on new charters, as some had proposed.
But yesterday, Singleton called his proposal a compromise that came out of consultations with other Assembly members, including state Assemblyman Patrick Diegnan (D-Middlesex), the chair of the Assembly education committee. Diegnan had pursued the local vote requirement.
“Right now, the public’s voice is silent,” Singleton said yesterday. “Why don’t we say that it represent 30 percent (of the decision)? I saw this as a middle ground.”
Singleton’s bill would make some other big adjustments in the application process.
Most notably, his bill would create a nine-member authorizing board that would oversee charter schools in the state, make recommendations for new approvals to the state commissioner, and have final say on charter renewals and other actions once the schools were opened.
The bill would also give charter schools considerable help with facilities, which is often one of their biggest challenges. It would provide state funding for facilities, including money through the Schools Development Authority, and give charter first rights on vacated school district buildings.
The bill was still being reviewed by Democratic leaders this week, with several of them saying they were withholding judgment yesterday.
Diegnan, in an interview, credited Singleton for his work on the bill, but said there still needs to be more discussion and input. He especially praised the local input provision, but said that, too, may need to be fine-tuned.
“What all of us are trying do is have local engagement, and I compliment Troy for including his,” Diegnan said. “I’m just not sure if that is exactly the right percentage.”
Still, Diegnan said that some kind of local say is critical to any bill. “I don’t have the answer to what it is, but it has to be in there,” he said.
Some bigger political hurdles loom. The Christie administration has been steadfast in opposing a binding local vote, and state Sen. Teresa Ruiz (D-Essex), chair of the Senate education committee -- who has said she would also introduce a charter bill -- has also opposed it.
As for Singleton’s latest version, Ruiz said yesterday that she needed to review the bill before making any comment.
The New Jersey Charter School Association issued a press release early in the day commending Singleton for his work, but raised concerns about the provisions for local input and the proposal for having only one authorizing board. The association has pressed for multiple authorizers in the state.
“Assemblyman Singleton understands the need for greater student achievement in public education and his legislation initiates the debate on many key issues such as independent authorizing authority and greater accountability for New Jersey’s public charter schools,” read the statement.
“However, as written, the NJCSA has concerns with the bill, especially where it lacks truly independent dual authorizing and funding parity, as well as limits on local politics from influencing public charter school applications.”
Save Our Schools NJ, the grassroots group that has been most vocal in pressing for binding local involvement in any revised charter law, said it also had much to review.
"For Save Our Schools NJ to support a charter reform bill, it has to include a substantive local control component,” said Julia Sass Rubin, a founding member of the group and a frequent spokesperson.
“It also has to address the segregation by income, special needs and English language proficiency between charter and public schools in a serious way. And, it has to increase charter school transparency and accountability."
Upon introduction, the bill was referred yesterday to the Assembly education committee.
Star Ledger - NJ State Board of Education hears proposed changes to science, preschool standards ‘…Several board members at the meeting in Trenton cheered the proposed science standards and the connection to critical thinking and problem-solving skills driven by the Common Core language arts and math standards.
"The connections are so obvious," a board member, Dorothy Strickland, said. "You’re really teaching not just to the science facts, but the notion of taking a particular idea and dissecting it. I’m so glad to see this."’
by Peggy McGlone/The Star-Ledger The Star-Ledger
Email the author | Follow on Twitter
on May 23, 2014 at 6:30 AM, updated May 23, 2014 at 6:49 AM
TRENTON — New Jersey education officials proposed major changes to the science and preschool curriculums as well as minor tweaks to the health and physical education guidelines Thursday at a special meeting of the New Jersey State Board of Education.
But the officials recommended no changes to the math and English language arts standards, the two subject areas aligned to the national Common Core State Standards.
The Common Core State Standards Initiative, which lays out what students in elementary through high school should know in English and mathematics, seeks to establish consistent national standards and ensure high school graduates have been adequately prepared.
But since their introduction, the standards have been sharply criticized from the left, which contends they are too focused on testing, data, and accountability, while the right has denounced them as a federal intrusion, or "ObamaCore."
The guidelines, first adopted in New Jersey in 2010, came under fire last week at a legislative hearing, where dozens of teachers, administrators and board members asked lawmakers to delay their implementation.
"The board in February recommitted and reaffirmed the Common Core State Standards in math and English language arts, and in those areas, no changes are proposed," Tracey Severns, the department’s chief academic officer, said. "We know that districts across the state have been working to align their curricula and adjust their assessment to align with those standards, so we’re going to leave them as is."
But officials proposed replacing the science curriculum with the Next Generation Science Standards, national guidelines written by 26 states, including New Jersey, and based on recommendations from the National Research Council.
The new guidelines would incorporate engineering and would make "explicit connections to the Common Core in English language arts and math," Michael Heinz, the science coordinator, said.
Several board members at the meeting in Trenton cheered the proposed science standards and the connection to critical thinking and problem-solving skills driven by the Common Core language arts and math standards.
"The connections are so obvious," a board member, Dorothy Strickland, said. "You’re really teaching not just to the science facts, but the notion of taking a particular idea and dissecting it. I’m so glad to see this."
The board president, Arcelio Aponte, said the improvements to the science standards emphasize the philosophy of the board.
"What do we want students to leave school knowing?" Aponte said. "It captures the very essence of being able to make an argument based on scientific data. This speaks to what is core, and what is core is what will help students be successful."
The standards for preschool would also be changed to align with the Common Core’s language arts and math standards for kindergarten, Ellen Wolock, director of the state Department of Education’s Office of Preschool Education, said.
"We rewrote them so kids in preschool are being prepared for what they are going to encounter when they get to kindergarten," Wolock said. "And the Common Core Standards are more specific and comprehensive, so our preschool standards are more specific and comprehensive."
The proposed preschool standards also outline "approaches to learning." The guidelines ask teachers to encourage persistence — How well does a child stick to a task? — communication, engagement and problem-solving.
"The approaches to learning is an important addition, but we are not letting go of play," Wolock said. "All aspects of learning will be in play."
The visual and performing arts, social studies and world language curriculum standards would largely be the same. In health and physical education, a section on dating violence would be added.
Last week, the Assembly Education Committee passed a bill that would establish a task force to investigate the state’s use of Common Core and its associated test, the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career (PARCC). The bill would allow the standards and tests to continue, but delay the use of their outcomes in student achievement and teacher performance for up to two years.
The New York Assembly in March passed a similar bill that would delay the use of student scores from Common Core-aligned tests in teacher and principal evaluations.
Similar criticism is being heard in at least 15 states. Indiana repealed the Common Core State Standards, and Georgia and Tennessee are considering similar action. Oklahoma adopted its own standards instead of a national model.
Strickland said she believed teachers and administrators were overwhelmed by all the changes.
They have a strong connection to educator evaluation and that frightens teachers," she said. But delaying isn’t the answer. "What’s going to happen is after a year’s delay we’re going to end up in the same place we are now."
The public can register to testify or question the proposed changes at hearings — all scheduled from 4 to 7 p.m. — June 4 at the Education Department in Trenton, June 11 at Gloucester County Institute of Technology in Sewell and June 12 at the Somerset County Office in Somerville. The department will also accept written comment through June 20.
