News
New Jersey Joins Common Core Initiative For National Educational Standards
By Caitlin MacNeal
ACCORDING TO A June 1st press release from the National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), New Jersey was one of 49 states and territories to join the Common Core State Standards Initiative.
The NGA and CCSSO, along with Achieve, Inc., ACT, and the College Board, are collaborating on a state-led initiative to create a set of national academic standards.
A committee of neutral education experts will create common standards in mathematics and language arts for kindergarten through 12th grade that individual states can voluntarily adopt.
One of the main reasons for starting the initiative is to be able to compare U.S. academics to those of other countries, initiative partners say. "To maintain America's competitive edge, we need all of our students to be prepared and ready to compete with students from around the world," said CCSSO President Ken James in the NGA/CCSSO Press Release. The effort has received support from area school superintendents.
"We are one of the only countries in the world that does not have a national standard," said Red Bank Regional High School Superintendant Dr. Ed Westervelt. "It's time that we change that."
The New Jersey Department of Education issued a press release on June 1st stating its decision to join the initiative. "Common standards will give us the opportunity to focus our efforts on ensuring that our students are learning the skills that will be required for success as 21st century global citizens and workers," said Governor Jon Corzine in the press release.
According to state education officials, the establishment of a national standard is unlikely to affect New Jersey public schools because New Jersey's scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) demonstrate that the state's Core Curriculum Content Standards are already more effective than those of the average state.
The only national educational assessment program in the country, NAEP assesses a pool of students from each state in the fourth and eighth grades. New Jersey scored well above the national average score in both reading and mathematics.
Jay Doolan, the Assistant Commissioner of Education of New Jersey stressed that the only effect the initiative could have on New Jersey public education is a positive one. "Governor Corzine and Commissioner Davy have stated repeatedly that if the products produced by this project are not higher than our current standards, then New Jersey is not going to accept them," he said. "This is not about New Jersey lowering its standards to the levels of other states; it's about raising standards for everyone."
While creating national standards for graduation requirements in math and language arts is a step in the right direction, educators say, it is still a small one. New Jersey's core curriculum content standards include 10 core subjects, and the state is starting to focus more on pre-k education standards.
Dr. Pete Righi, superintendant of Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School stressed the need for a focus on education in kindergarten through fourth grade. "We fall behind because kids fall behind at an early age," he said.
The initiative to create national standards will take time as well. While the initial goals are set at July 2009 for high school graduation requirements and at December 2009 for grade-by-grade requirements, the states will have up to three years to adopt the standards. Additionally, the process might be prolonged when the need for compromise between states arises. "There will probably be some compromise, but ideally the standards set will be fairly rigorous," said Mike Yaple, spokesman for the New Jersey School Board's Association.
Yaple also mentioned, that the initiative most likely gained more support because it is a state-led effort, not one mandated by the federal government, as was the No Child Left Behind Act signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2001.
The Common Core State Standards Initiative also differs from NCLB with its creation of a national standard, not a patchwork of individual state standards. While the initiative still allows states to exceed the national standard, it will require the agreeing states to meet a certain national benchmark.
New Jersey has recently reformed its state graduation requirements as a part of the Secondary Education Redesign Initiative, which is focusing on grades 6-12 and preparing students for careers or college. Revised graduation requirements that will take effect with the 2010-2011 or 2012-2013 freshmen classes strive to include more use of technology and more attention to global and diverse perspectives. Math, science, and social studies requirements have changed slightly, and a requirement for 2.5 credits in economics will be added.
In addition, Yaple said that New Jersey is starting to look at p-16 (preschool-college graduation) standards, rather than just k-12 standards. He said the national standards seek to align high school graduation requirements with the skills needed for college entry.
Education officials in New Jersey are aiming to make the transitions from pre-school to kindergarten and from 12th grade to college as smooth as the transitions between the k-12 grade levels.
Overall, the Common Core State Standards Initiative is setting the nation on the track towards a nationalized educational standard.
Mary Beth Currie, Assistant Superintendant for Curriculum and Instruction in the Holmdel school district, hopes that the national standards look at the depth and rigor needed in public education. "If they proceed as I expect, I think it's going to have a positive effect on education everywhere," she said.
