Ridgewood should continue Common Core discussions
OCTOBER 10, 2014 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2014, 8:31 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
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Ridgewood Should Continue Common Core discussions
Christina Krauss
I would like to extend my sincere and heartfelt appreciation to Ridgewood Cares About Schools (RCAS) and the League of Women Voters-Ridgewood for putting together a standing-room-only forum last Thursday evening.
The panel assembled was stellar. Educational luminaries Drs. Sandra Stotsky and Christopher Tienken along with Ridgewood’s own Jean McTavish engaged in the first honest discussion on the Common Core State Standards and PARCC testing we have heard in either the district or the state. The president of the NJ State Board of Education, the assistant commissioner of the NJ Department of Education and a spokesperson for the NJ School Boards Association, entities that normally do not “discuss” the policies they issue, were queried by the public. The exchange was riveting and enlightening.
My sincere hope is that our district will become a leader in bringing to its citizens and the surrounding communities continued discussion on Common Core and all its ancillary issues. Data privacy, exhaustive testing/reporting and the harmful effect of CCSS/PARCC on early learners are but a few of the legitimate concerns parents are expressing.
The discussion is long overdue.