PARCC Field Test Goes Online as Exam Moves Closer to Full Development
Kudos and controversies aside, New Jersey is about to undergo a sea change in the way it evaluates students, schools, and teachers.
PARCC is finally here — or at least pretty close.
Starting on Monday, more than 1,200 schools across New Jersey will start field-testing the new online state exams that are part of the 17-state Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career (PARCC).
The testing is a change in the way New Jersey assesses how its public schools are performing and students are learning, fully aligned with the national Common Core State Standard.
For the first time, the tests will be administered entirely online. (Mooney/NJSpotlight)
Readers says Ridgewood Planning Board Backs off Gail Prices all or Nothing Comments
The PB meeting was interesting last night. The meeting started with a discussion about the downtown assisted living/garage proposal. I think Blaise said that the project is only financially viable if they can build 60 fee high with no compromise on the number of spaces. This PB agreed with the Mayor and sent the project to council who will vote on an ordinance and then the whole thing goes back to the PB. Based upon statements made by PB members, there seems to be strong PB support for this project.
The PB then began the H-zone discussion by stating the The Record, CRR and the residents who attended the meeting misunderstood statements made at the last meeting and changes can be made to Valley’s proposal if it is consistent with the findings of experts. After that heated discussion came to a close, the PB hospital expert testified that Valley had submitted a good plan which for all intents and purposes means that the Valley proposal cannot be altered , correct?? Anyway, you can’t make this stuff up.
JUST SOLD! 320 Meadowbrook Ave, Ridgewood NJ
Michael Fidanza
March 19.2014
9:11 AM
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Common Core money man Bill Gates defends K-12 experiment in ABC News interview
March 17, 2014
Ben Velderman
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Microsoft founder Bill Gates appeared on a Sunday talk show to respond to criticism of Common Core, the one-size-fits-all math and English learning standards that are being used in schools in 45 states.
In a softball interview with ABC “This Week” host George Stephanopoulos, Gates addressed concerns that Common Core will undermine local and state control over public education.
“The Common Core is not a curriculum. It doesn’t tell you how to teach. It’s not a federal takeover. Nobody’s pushing for that,” Gates said.
Gates – whose personal foundation has reportedly spent nearly $200 million to get the Common Core experiment off the ground – said the nationalized learning standards are better than states’ previous learning expectations because they emphasize genuine understanding of the material, instead of rote memorization.
“I believe 10 years from now, kids’ competence in math, kids’ scores in math, can be improved a lot,” Gates predicted.
“I think this is going to be a big win for education.”
There are a couple of major problems with Gates’ answers. We’ll start with his predictions that Common Core will help America compete in the global marketplace.
The Common Core standards were not piloted on actual students before they were adopted and implemented back in 2010 and 2011. The fact is no one can say with certainty if Common Core’s approach to math – which emphasizes “critical thinking” over memorizing basic information – is going to produce a generation of more and better mathematicians.
In fact, there are a number of thoughtful scholars who expect Common Core will have a disastrous effect on the national goal of preparing students for a career in a STEM field (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).
That same uncertainty applies to Common Core’s English standards which focus on non-fiction, “informational texts” at the expense of classic literature.
Gates and company believe more practical reading assignments will better prepare students for the ever-changing economy. Critics say the standards will produce an ignorant citizenry that won’t be prepared to think seriously about history, culture and politics.
This means Gates’ prediction that the “higher standards” will yield great academic fruit is just a wild guess. The opposite could just as easily turn out to be true.
But Gates’’ biggest misstatement was his assertion that Common Core doesn’t represent a “federal takeover” of America’s public education system.
While we agree that Common Core isn’t an outright takeover of the nation’s public schools, we believe it does give D.C. bureaucrats backdoor access to the nation’s classrooms.
Reader says We do not need pitchforks to say NO to over development
Much like the valley hospital situation, these people need an exception to the master plan. We do not need pitchforks to say NO. We do not even need a middle ground. These entities are all looking to build/expand so that they can make more money. Nothing personal, it’s just business.
What is in it for the town? More traffic, more kids in the schools and even less parking?
The next Regular Public Meeting of the Ridgewood Board of Education will be held on Monday, March 17, 2014 at 7:30 p.m.
The public is invited to attend the meeting at the Ed Center, 49 Cottage Place, Floor 3. The meeting will be aired live on FiOS channel 33 and Optimum channel 77. Or it may be viewed live via the district website atwww.ridgewood.k12.nj.us using the “Link in Live” tab.
Click here to view the agenda for the March 3, 2014 Regular Public Meeting.
Click here to view the webcast of the March 3, 2014 Regular Public Meeting.
2014-2015 Budget Information
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Daniel Fishbein has announced three public presentations on the 2014-2015 school budget. The presentations will offer residents the opportunity to hear the budget details and ask questions of the superintendent, business administrator and Board of Education members.
The 2014-2015 school budget presentations will be offered as follows: Thursday, April 10 at 1 p.m. at the Education Center, 49 Cottage Place, Floor 3; Thursday, April 10 at 7 p.m. at Benjamin Franklin Middle School Auditorium, 335 North Van Dien Avenue; and Wednesday, April 23 at 7 p.m. at George Washington Middle School Auditorium, 155 Washington Place.
Taking effect this year, the Ridgewood Board of Education has opted to move the annual school board elections from April to November, thereby eliminating the public vote on the proposed general tax levy if it is at or below the statutory tax levy cap. Since next year’s proposed budget falls within the mandated cap, it will not be put to public vote.
The Board will continue to discuss the proposed budget at upcoming regular public meetings on March 17, April 7 and April 28. Residents are welcome to attend these meetings and speak at the public comment portion of the agenda. The Board is expected to approve the final budget at its Regular Public Meeting on Monday, April 28.
Click here to view the Preliminary 2014-2015 Budget Presentation presented at the March 3, 2014 Regular Public Meeting.
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14
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5 Bedroom, 3 Full Bath,
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18
Open Houses for Sun 3/9
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140 BELLAIR RD, Unit M, RIDGEWOOD, NJ 07450
2 Bedroom, 2 Full Bath,
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Jennifer Wilkes, Sales Associate
Weichert Realtors Ridgewood
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 5:00 P.M. Sun. 3/9
14
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12
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25
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119 RICHMOND AVE, RIDGEWOOD, NJ 07450
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18
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18
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5 Bedroom, 3 Full Bath,
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18
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19
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15
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21
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9
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15
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When I lived in Ridgewood, I often proposed solutions to Ridgewood’s many problems.
They were all good ideas. They were mostly ignored.
After 40 years, I had to move because of the village’s high taxes, but I still follow news about Ridgewood and now there is an issue I really can solve.
Some 400-plus kids in the village can’t cope with lunch that is provided by the schools or in a home-fixed brown bag.
Maybe their parents don’t like bags or don’t want to be bothered. So these kids need personal lunches.
Understandably, school staffers don’t want their days disrupted delivering personalized lunches and worrying about an extra threat to school security. Not so understandably, some parents who want personalized lunches for their kids – and some delis – are suing the school system.
There is a solution so simple no one can oppose it: Let the delis deliver a lunch to each child at home, just before he or she leaves for school.
Editors note : History has shown us the problem is the Village simply has “ZERO” credibility in its ability to plan ,manage and implement large projects and too many seem to have their vision clouded by personal gain.
No one wants to see empty lots in the CBD , nor do most want to live in the “next, next ” Hoboken .
Like the Train Station renovation before , there is a way for everyone to get something positive, add housing , improve infrastructure , take into account schools and of coarse parking.
Whats lacking is a vision for the future of the Village. A vision uniquely by Ridewood ,for Ridgewood. Not about people getting elected or speculators getting rich off government connections .
This Vision must include Valley Hospital, CBD housing ,retail and parking , traffic and the Ridgewood School district.
The Village with its excellent schools , parks ,CBD, cultural institutions and easy access to transportation offers a very unique opportunity .
If we chose to destroy the character of the town , the very character that has attracted so many to the Village over the years , we will lose the very thing that makes us who we are….
The people advocating for high density buildings (and for Valley Hospital over expansion for that matter) do not care about our town. They care about making money. Once they make their money, if they don’t like what the town is like they will be able to leave. There is no middle ground we can get to right now because they want maximum $$. They will first try for maximum $$ via high density, and only if we defeat them will they come down a notch and try for slightly less (see Valley Hospital). Maybe after several defeats we might get to a middle ground, but even that will be temporary. People like this do not give up. 10 years after we reach a middle ground solution (if we do) they will be right back at it (or their children will take the helm) seeking to make $$ by ruining our Village…..
I think that is what has to be discussed. But to right away jump to conclusion and think over night or even years Ridgewood would turn into any of your examples is foolish and not forward thinking.
You think modernization and growth and you assume that means higher crime, noise, traffic and every negative thing you can imagine… But it doesn’t have to be that way if you develop a sustainable plan for growth through a thoughtful process.
The contextual makeup of Ridgewood is not sustainable. Look every town around us…. Minus glen rock… We are a old folks home… And it’s sad because we have an opportunity to be an example of a modern town that still remains true to its roots.
It doesn’t have to be an all or nothing deal. What i am really saying is that we are going to expand… No way around it it will happen eventually, just being honest. I rather the people that do care about this towns and it’s history be the ones making the plans and not the (as number one stated) money Hungary investors that can up and leave if it fails.
What rather you have?…..
We don’t want to follow the path of Hoboken, Paterson, Hackensack or NYC. Is there a suitable model out there?….
Ridgewood reopens request for proposals for Gap lot
MONDAY MARCH 3, 2014, 3:30 PM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Ridgewood is still seeking qualified developers to propose viable plans to convert a small East Ridgewood Avenue lot into a “first class, two-story facility.”
The village this month re-issued a request for proposals (RFP) to solicit individuals or firms interested in constructing a retail building at Lot 12, Block 3703, commonly known in Ridgewood as the Gap parking lot. Potential developers have until May 15 to answer the village’s RFP.
A similar RFP was issued last summer, but the filing deadline expired before any developer could submit a proposal. Two separate entities had expressed interest in a potential project, though neither responded in time, village officials said.
The RFP and subsequent development project are parts of the Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce’s large-scale plan to bring at least one municipal parking facility to the Central Business District. In 2012, chamber officials unveiled a plan that would result in the construction of two downtown parking garages.
Fishbein: Why do I follow proposed legislation?
Friday, February 28, 2014
By DANIEL FISHBEIN
COLUMNIST
Each week I monitor proposed, new and pending legislation. Why?
Generally, I do this because I find a significant amount of legislation interferes with the operation and efficiency of our district. When I determine legislation that is or will be problematic to the district, I both inform the Ridgewood Board of Education of the issue and I write a letter to the state officials explaining how this legislation will negatively impact our mission of excellence.
At times my letters result in formal Ridgewood Board of Education (BOE) resolutions — either supporting or opposing — that are officially passed by the BOE after public discussion. In addition, many resolutions come from individual BOE members themselves, who also monitor legislation on their own or through their active involvement in various school issue-based organizations such as the New Jersey School Boards Association and the Garden State Coalition of Schools.
Since our legislators are busy people who receive thousands of pieces of legislation, interact with other constituents and must deal with other distractions from within their own organization, my letters and BOE resolutions help keep our representatives informed as to our stance on the education bills that cross their desks on a regular basis.
New School Chief Returns at Tumultuous Time for Education in NJ
State-aid crunch, strife in Newark and debate over Christie’s policies greet former education commissioner upon return to Trenton.
Gov. Chris Christie picked quite a day yesterday to announce David Hespe would be returning as his next education commissioner, a post he held more than a decade ago.
The governor’s school-aid numbers for next year were released yesterday afternoon to a less-than-enthusiastic reception. Earlier in the day, legislators argued over how to deal with the growing turmoil over the state’s ongoing control of Newark schools. And, throughout the day, advocates were gearing up for protests over the administration’s overall education policies. (Mooney/NJSpotlight)
TUESDAY FEBRUARY 25, 2014, 7:51 AM
BY MARY DIDUCH
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD
Pascack Valley seeks state approval
The New Jersey Department of Education may not yet have officially granted the Pascack Valley Regional High School District credit for its “virtual school day” a week and a half ago – as it is still analyzing data from the day – but the district’s administration and students appear to already be viewing the day as a success.
Teachers and students from both the district’s high schools – Pascack Valley High School and Pascack Hills High School – worked from home one snow day about a week and a half ago instead of taking a day off.
The district already had exhausted its snow days, and allowing the students to work from home could be a future solution to having students make up the day later in the year.
However, while the state gave the district permission to go ahead with the “virtual school day” two days before a snowstorm closed schools, a ruling has yet to be made on whether the virtual day will count as one of the 180 mandatory school days.
Superintendent Erik Gundersen said in his report at a Board of Education meeting Monday night that the state’s Department of Education has yet to get back to the district about whether the day will count officially.
