Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey leaned on the podium with his right elbow, his standard let-me-give-it-to-you-straight stance, and gave one of his classic blunt warnings, this time setting up a nearly hourlong speech laying out his educational platform.
“It’s time we had a conversation about education that isn’t defined by ideological dogma or by narrow, personal, institutional interests,” Mr. Christie told the packed room at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. “Lets talk about what real educational reform for America looks like.” (Corasaniti/The New York Times)
Maplewood protest about Assembly bill underscores ongoing N.J. education policy struggle over charter schools
MAPLEWOOD – More than 100 people protested in front of the Maplewood office of state Assemblywoman Mila Jasey (D-27) on Tuesday morning, decrying her support of a proposed bill that they believe hurts the future of charter schools, a critical issue echoed in next-door Newark, across New Jersey and around the nation. (Bonamo/PolitickerNJ)
No more than mere weeks away from an anticipated presidential campaign launch, Governor Chris Christie’s long retreat from Common Core just reached the next level Thursday afternoon during remarks on New Jersey academic standards at the Burlington County College’s Geraldine Clinton Little Theatre in Pemberton.
“It’s now been five years since Common Core was adopted,” the Governor declared in prepared remarks. “And the truth is that it’s simply not working. It has brought only confusion and frustration to our parents. And has brought distance between our teachers and the communities where they work. Instead of solving problems in our classrooms, it is creating new ones. And when we aren’t getting the job done for our children, we need to do something different.”
Community colleges to use controversial PARCC tests for student placement
MARCH 24, 2015, 2:03 PM LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2015, 10:00 PM
BY HANNAN ADELY
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
In New Jersey’s march to roll out new academic standards and testing in public schools, some of the strongest and most vocal support has come from the state’s colleges and universities.
Now, in the latest measure of faith in the exams, the council of 19 community college presidents announced that they plan to use scores on the new tests for student placement next year. It will be the first time the tests have consequences for students.
“These scores will be a valuable tool for colleges in our work to help high school students avoid remediation and begin study in college-level courses,” the New Jersey Council of County Colleges said in a joint statement Monday.
By embracing the tests — which are designed to measure students’ knowledge of the more rigorous standards — college officials are at odds with many parents who have protested their use in schools and kept their children out of the exams. But higher education officials say the new system will better prepare students for college and prevent many of them from having to take remedial classes.
Tweets, FaceBook, Instagram and other social media being tracked! Not only by the NSA, but by Pearson Education and the NJ Department of Education!!
MicheleNJTPC
CRITICAL UPDATE – COMMON CORE
We recently wrote about this story that appeared last week concerning the PARCC tests. This is a follow up with more troubling news.
Bob Braun, former Star Ledger education reporter, reported about the surveillance of students’ social media following their taking of the PARCC test at Watchung Regional HS, and the superintendent’s reaction. Pearson asked, through the NJ Department of Education, that the students be disciplined, on account of their tweets concerning the test. The NJDOE contacted the school district and forwarded Pearson’s request to the district. One student was suspended as a result, but the superintendent’s e-mail to her colleagues has also been posted, expressing concern about the compromise of student privacy.
This story has now exploded across NJ and the nation, as other reports of Pearson snooping into student social media accounts have surfaced. Now, in addition to the Watchung Regional School District. Two high schools in the HANOVER PARK REGIONAL HS District (three blocks from my house), and COLUMBIA HIGH SCHOOL in Maplewood HAVE REPORTED SIMILAR CASES OF PEARSON’S SNOOPING.
Worse – Pearson has confirmed their interests in maintaining test security through monitoring of student social media, and a call this morning to the NJ Department of Education defended the practice as not violating student privacy, because it was obtained not through the school district, but through information posted “publicly” on social media, by the students themselves. PLEASE, PLEASE – read Bob Braun’s entire blog, for which the link appears above. He indicates that his story has NOT been covered by the Star Ledger, for which he used to work!!!
As a result of this news, NJ Commissioner of Education, David Hespe, and Pearson have been called before the NJ Assembly Education Committeethis Thursday at 10:00 a.m. in Trenton to answer questions.
PLEASE CONTACT ME IMMEDIATELY IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN ATTENDING. UNLESS PARENTS AND THE PUBLIC ACT DECISIVELY, THERE IS NO DOUBT THIS UNIMAGINABLE AND OUTRAGEOUS BEHAVIOR, MONITORING OF STUDENT DATA AND ABRIDGEMENT OF EVERYONE’S FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS TO FREE SPEECH WILL CONTINUE!!!.
PEOPLE GET THE GOVERNMENT THEY DESERVE!!! FAILURE TO ACT WILL ASSURE THAT THIS MONITORING WILL CONTINUE !!!
Here is an excerpt from Braun’s FaceBook blog:
Bob Braun’s Ledger
March 15, 2015
The Brave New World of testing expands
Share on FacebookTweet about this on TwitterEmail this to someoneShare on LinkedInShare on Google+Share on StumbleUpon
BLOG: HANOVER – Two other New Jersey school districts-Hanover Park Regional in East Hanover and South Orange-Maplewood-were notified by state officials that “monitoring”-spying?- Twitter traffic revealed students had used social media accounts to post a forbidden messages regarding the PARCC tests. No surprise, really-it’s happening everywhere, including Maryland where a state official said he gets daily reports from Pearson, the publisher of the standardized tests. on what students are saying about testing on their internet accounts.
“PARCC has a very sophisticated system that closely monitors social media for pretty much everything (comments like the one you shared, test item questions that students use cell phones cameras and take),” said Henry Johnson, the state assistant education commissioner in Maryland. The state, like New Jersey, has a contract with Pearson.
“We get those reports daily.”
Let’s run that one by you again:
“PARCC has a very sophisticated system that closely monitors social media for pretty much everything….”
The phrase “pretty much everything” aptly describes the broad reach of how this brave new world of testing and cooperation with government works. Pearson will say-as it told the Washington Post-that it is doing it for “security” reasons.
But security is itself a broad term. Here is what the State of New Jersey and Pearson agreed encompassed the idea of security and its possible breach-it’s codified in the testing manual developed by the state and sent out to all the districts:
“Revealing or discussing passages or test items with anyone, including students and school staff, through verbal exchange, email, social media, or any other form of communication.”
Another opportunity for repetition for emphasis here-discussing? Any other form of communication?
So, if children come home from school and their parents ask-“How was your day, sweetheart?” and the children talk about a really dumb question on the PARCC, they will be violating the rules and be subject to whatever punishment is meted out for cheating-as a blogger did who learned from a child who hadn’t taken the test that there was a passage on it about The Wizard of Oz.
In addition, research into Pearson has shown that by students logging on to take the test, their district-held “personal” information is forwarded on to Pearson, then to Amazon Cloud servers – where the only remaining protection is a “promise” that whatever companies it is then shared with will have and honor a privacy policy. Pretty risky, given the hundreds of millions of dollars being spent to promote Common Core.
Here’s what you can do:
1. Read the entire Braun blog, and FORWARD THIS ON TO EVERYONE ON YOUR LIST!!!! To do this, please use the “forward” buttons at the top and bottom of this e-mail, rather than using your own server to forward, as you may unwittingly “unsubscribe” yourself from our e-mails if someone you sent it to “unsubscribes”.
2. Let’s show up in Trenton on Thursday. Three other bills are on the agenda, in addition to Hespe and Pearson being called to testify. I am told that testimony must be on the bills, not on the privacy issue alone. Therefore, I would suggest that you address your remarks to A4268, that establishes a PARCC task force (deja vu all over again!). Click here for a link to the text of the bill. You will see it looks a whole lot like the bill proposed last spring and ultimately voted on and passed, almost unanimously by the Assembly. This is like tying your child to the train track as the train approaches, but telling him to relax, you’re going to study how fast it is coming, how far it will go, how many people are on board, whether you CAN stop it, etc.!!!
3. Call and/or e-mail all of the contacts for Senate and Assembly Ed committees, and the Governor’s office.
4. Call and/or e-mail your own 2 assembly representatives and your state senator.
Barbara Eames
973-538-8226
ASSEMBLY EDUCATION COMMITTEE:
Patrick J. Diegnan, Chair (D-18) – 908-757-1677 — AsmDiegnan@njleg.org
Troy Singleton, Vice Chair (D-7) – 856-234-2790 –AsmSingleton@njleg.org
Ralph R. Caputo (D-28) 973-450-0484 — AsmCaputo@njleg.org
Angel Fuentes (D-5) 856-547-4800 — AsmFuentes@njleg.org
Mila M. Jasey (D-27) 973-762-1886 — AswJasey@njleg.org
Angelica Jimenez (D-32) 201-223-4247 — AswJimenez@njleg.org
David P. Rible (R-30) 732-974-1719 — AsmRible@njleg.org
Donna M. Simon (R-16) 908-968-3304 — AswSimon@njleg.org
Adam Taliaferro (D-3) 973-339-0808 — AsmTaliaferro@njleg.org
David W. Wolfe (R-10) 732-840-9028 — AsmWolfe@njleg.org
Aides:
Democratic majority = Martin Sumners (609) 847-3500
Reader says the single most threatening development in K-12 education is the drastic denuding of our academic curricula of crucial content in favor of a single minded focus and emphasis on “process”.
“Content alone will not make our children successful,” Biedron said. “What will? Critical thinking skills, problem-solving skills, collaboration skills and communication skills. Are these skills being taught by Common Core and PARCC? That’s a big question. Education is organic, it’s constantly changing.”
One hates to say this, since he was kind enough to visit Ridgewood, but Mr. Biedron reveals himself to be either a fraud or a pathetic dupe for laying his point out in this way. Who on earth ever suggested or sought to prove that content alone will make our children successful?
His efforts are not in vain, for he has managed to articulate perhaps the mother of all straw man arguments in the field of U.S. K-12 education. A man in his position in the home of a well-educated and savvy Ridgewood resident needs to be pinned down by withering intellectual fire until he concedes that the single most threatening development in K-12 education is the drastic denuding of our academic curricula of crucial content in favor of a single minded focus and emphasis on “process”. This is not even debatable, and the incalculable damage that has already been done to young minds in this country places us so far behind the eight ball in comparison to our global peers (and up until recently, our inferiors) will take two generations to repair, and that only if we reverse course immediately.
State Board of Education president speaks to Ridgewood parents, teachers
March 13, 2015 Last updated: Friday, March 13, 2015, 9:58 AM
By Mark Krulish
Staff Writer |
The Ridgewood News
New Jersey State Board of Education President Mark Biedron appeared at the Ridgewood home of Marlene Burton to engage a group of concerned parents, some of whom are also teachers, in a dialogue about changes made on the educational landscape in recent years.
Over the course of two-and-a-half hours, Biedron and a group of approximately 30 people explored topics ranging from the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) tests, Common Core standards, teacher evaluations, Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and the narrowing of the curriculum.
Reminding those in attendance that his opinions were his own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of Education, Biedron spoke candidly about what he believes will help children be successful.
Many decades ago, content was king, Biedron said, as information was much more difficult to find. With all of the information the world has to offer available at the push of the button, he said schools can now additionally focus on other skills and habits that he believes many want their children to have.
“Content alone will not make our children successful,” Biedron said. “What will? Critical thinking skills, problem-solving skills, collaboration skills and communication skills. Are these skills being taught by Common Core and PARCC? That’s a big question. Education is organic, it’s constantly changing.”
FEBRUARY 9, 2015, 9:59 PM LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2015, 10:02 PM
BY HANNAN ADELY
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
A movement to get parents to keep their children from taking new state exams next month — fueled by protests on social media and encouragement from the teachers union — is gaining steam.
New Jersey requires all students to take the tests, but they do not need to sit for the exams to go on to the next grade or graduate.
State Education Commissioner David Hespe has urged school leaders to respond to the growing opt-out movement by explaining to parents the merits of the tests. In meetings, letters and online communications, school leaders say the tests will provide detailed information about what each student knows, better prepare teens for college entrance exams and build critical thinking skills.
But they are also trying to address parents’ complaints that the tests cut into instruction time, hamper creativity and fail to adequately measure learning. Some parents have delivered heartfelt pleas to school officials about the stress their children feel.
“We try to provide a balanced approach and let parents know there are benefits to taking the test. All they hear about is negative,” said Mark Toback, superintendent of Wayne schools.
Democrats in Trenton look to remove superintendent salary caps
FEBRUARY 8, 2015, 11:32 PM LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2015, 11:35 PM
BY ALLISON PRIES
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
Saddle River is on the hunt for its third superintendent in three years.
Alpine wants permission to keep its interim leader beyond the two-year state limit.
And Ho-Ho-Kus is hoping its high-achieving, parent-involved district appears attractive to superintendent candidates — even though it can offer them only $135,000.
Leaders in some small, wealthy North Jersey school districts say the superintendent pay cap — instituted by Governor Christie in 2011 — has dealt them a particularly hard blow. Once seen as appealing places to work, these districts now are having trouble drawing and retaining top candidates because they’re competing with larger districts that are allowed to pay more and New York State, which has no salary limits. What’s more, they are willing to pay top dollar, but can’t.
On top of it, many of these chief executives often work double duty as principals, so offering them less than what they could earn in subordinate roles elsewhere isn’t always an easy sell.
Christie targeted superintendent salaries five years ago with his Reform Agenda to help school districts keep costs low and better finance priority services.
Superintendent salaries had risen, on average, 46 percent or $100 million between 2001 and 2010, according to the governor’s office.
The cap resulted in the reduction of salaries for about 360 school superintendents, or 70 percent, for a potential savings of nearly $9.8 million statewide, $2.2 million in Bergen County and $650,000 in Passaic County, according to the state data.
When the cap was imposed, Christie’s move was panned by educators and praised by fiscal conservatives, who complained about the state’s high property taxes — and even higher per-pupil costs for suburban districts.
Today, the New Jersey Senate Budget Committee will vote on a bill sponsored by Sens. Paul Sarlo, D-Wood-Ridge, and M. Teresa Ruiz, D-Newark, that would roll back the caps, prohibiting the state Department of Education from regulating the maximum salary a school district can pay its superintendent. The bill was already considered by the education committee, Sarlo said.
The Ridgewood Education Association invites parents and community members to a free screening of “Standardized”
February 07,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ,The Ridgewood Education Association invites parents and community members to a free screening of “Standardized” at 7 p.m. on Feb 11 at the Bow Tie Cinemas in downtown Ridgewood. “Standardized” is a documentary film that examines the impact of the high-stakes standardized testing movement in public education today.
Michael Yannone President Ridgewood Education Association states in a letter to the Ridgewood News
“Here in Ridgewood, we are beginning to see how tests mandated upon the district by bureaucrats from afar is impacting the education of our students. Next month, all Ridgewood students in grades 3 to 11 will begin taking the newly created PARCC exam. This new test has affected many aspects of our district from technology, professional development, staffing, daily lessons and assignments, and even our calendar. As we get closer to this test, I encourage parents to educate themselves. You can take sample tests for yourself at parcconline.org and more information is available on the district website, websites like njkidsandfamilies.org, and via films like “Standardized.”
Due to theater capacity, seating is limited, but if you would like to attend you can reserve your seat online at ridgewoodstandardized.eventbrite.com.
FEBRUARY 1, 2015, 10:45 PM LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2015, 10:46 PM
BY HANNAN ADELY
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
In an effort to cut down on rising costs, the state is capping a program that allows students to attend schools outside their own district at no extra cost, limiting some Bergen and Passaic schools to just a handful of open spots for the coming school year.
“It’s fiscally unsustainable,” state Education Commissioner David Hespe said in an interview. “The program has increased fivefold. The cost has increased fivefold.”
The education commissioner is also considering preventing additional students from high-performing schools, which would include many in Bergen County, from participating. The program was meant to give students access to better schools, but many of the students who took advantage already had good schools in their hometown, Hespe said.
State officials say they need to stop the Interdistrict Public School Choice Program’s growth because it has ballooned to about 5,000 students at a cost of $50 million a year. But supporters of the program say the decision to cap it seems to contradict the Christie administration’s stated policy of creating more taxpayer-financed options for students who don’t want to attend struggling local schools.
How did Camden, N.J. come to have one of the highest spending AND worst performing school districts in the nation?
The recent history of Camden, New Jersey, which is the poorest small city in America, provides a case study of the tragic ineffectiveness of government programs at ameliorating poverty. State and federal taxpayers have spent hundreds of millions of dollars on various redevelopment programs in Camden over the years, but the money never ended up where it was supposed to and the promised revival of this fallen manufacturing town never happened.
By far, the largest initiative to combat poverty with government largess has been directed at Camden’s public schools. New Jersey spends about 60% more on education per pupil than the national average according to 2012 census figures, or about $19,000 in 2013. In Camden, per pupil spending was more than $25,000 in 2013, making it one of the highest spending districts in the nation.
But all that extra money hasn’t changed the fact that Camden’s public schools are among in the worst in the nation, notorious for their abysmal test scores, the frequent occurrence of in-school violence, dilapidated buildings, and an on-time graduation rate of just 61 percent.
This is the story of how Camden became one of the nation’s best funded and worst performing school districts, which is the first in a three-part video series on Camden public school system.
Another round of ‘school report cards’ released; include new career, tech info
January 30, 2015, 7:58 PM Last updated: Friday, January 30, 2015, 7:58 PM
By HANNAN ADELY
Staff Writer | The Record
New Jersey school report cards released Friday show how well schools are educating children and include for the first time a breakdown of how many students take career and technical courses.
The School Performance Reports, searchable online, give a school-by-school picture on measures including test scores, graduation rates and absenteeism and offer comparisons among schools that have similar demographics.
“Each year, the school performance reports present information designed to give local districts a more complete snapshot of where their schools stand in terms of how well their students are moving toward college and career readiness,” said state Education Commissioner David Hespe.
Participation in career and technical education was added as a school measure under a package of bills that Governor Christie signed in December to boost vocational education.
N.J. commission urges school districts to reduce testing
JANUARY 23, 2015, 5:22 PM LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JANUARY 23, 2015, 5:35 PM
BY HANNAN ADELY
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
Gov. Christie’s commission on student testing on Friday called for school districts to review and to consider cutting back their own exams amid rising concerns about too much testing in schools.
But it appears unlikely that New Jersey will drop out or delay new standards-based state tests as other states have done amid public furor over a testing culture that critics say takes away from classroom learning. The commission, in its initial report released Friday, instead urges a larger look at the whole body of tests and quizzes that students get on a daily basis.
“We want every district, school and classroom to engage in this review to make sure all assessments are high quality and efficient and not redundant,” said David Hespe, the commission of education.
Hespe, who is leading the nine-member commission on student assessments, said there is far more local testing than state testing and that districts, schools and parents need to review and establish testing policies to suit their communities. That includes evaluating how they use tests in schools, the purpose of each test, and whether any are redundant.
“If that means a school might have to roll back assessments, by all means we would support that,” Hespe said.
Is Homeschooling Right for You?
Jan 23, 2015
Jessica A. Bush
10 THINGS TO CONSIDER: PART 1: The prospect of homeschooling is a daunting task as it has many advantages as well as some disadvantages. We know you want what is best for your children, and so if you are thinking of homeschooling, here are some things you should consider before making your final decision.
Why homeschool?
There are always a number of schooling choices in every neighborhood, so you need to have a really strong idea of why you want to homeschool. Homeschooling takes an enormous amount of your time, requires organization and a whole lot of work on your behalf, so having really strongly formed reasons for why you want to embark on this is important to keep you going.
What are the legal requirements?
Contact your local school boards for curriculums and the legal requirements you have as a parent. Each school board has materials and books for homeschooling that make it easier for you to create and follow a curriculum that covers everything your child needs to learn in each semester.
Join homeschooling groups in your area as they will have a wealth of information too. Register your family for homeschool and ensure that you know your legal responsibilities.
What is your homeschooling style?
As homeschooling develops, so does the number of homeschooling styles. From classic to eclectic to unschooling, select your style and ensure it fits with your child’s learning style.
Who will help you?
Most people have academic strengths and weaknesses. Perhaps you and your husband have different talents and can share the workload or perhaps you will need tutors to guide your child through those subjects that you don’t excel at. Ensure that you have a plan that covers the entire curriculum and don’t be afraid to ask for help; you don’t have to do everything on your own.
Another possibility is to share classes with other homeschooling families in a homeschooling co-op. This will help to reduce your work load and will ensure that your children are getting a great education from like-minded individuals.
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
It’s really important to be honest about this; sure we would love to do everything ourselves, but we have to provide the absolute best for our children. If you are poor at discipline or schedules, then ask for help making one that the family has to stick to. Know your strong points and play to them; know your weaknesses and illicit help from your family members, homeschooling community and tutors.
What is your support base?
Create a support base for yourself that will create a community of learning that supports your children. Friends, family members, other homeschooling families and tutors will help you to create a community in which your children are free to learn, grow and play. This community is also there to help you and to provide the support you need to enjoy your homeschooling experience and to provide advice and ideas that you can adopt so your homeschooling practice evolves and grows with your family.
