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The mission of the New Jersey Association of School Administrators, the unifying professional association of school leaders, is to ensure...Read More
January 16, 2016
This special announcement will provide you with up-to-date information on pertinent educational issues that are part of the State Board's agenda.

Eyes on the NJ State Board of Education
Meeting Date: January 11, 2016
 
 
President's Report 
Resolution in Honor of School Board Recognition Month
The New Jersey State Board of Education recognized the contributions of our State's local boards of education to the academic success of its public school students.  

Commissioner's Report  
NJDOE Reorganization
The State Board of Education approved a new Organization Chart
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* Pete Shulman has been appointed Deputy Commissioner/Chief Talent Officer, where he will oversee the Division of Talent and Performance which, in addition to the current offices he oversees, now includes the Chief Performance Officer, the Office of Assessments and the Office of Performance Management.
* Evo Popoff is now the Chief Innovation and Intervention Officer/Assistant Commissioner for the Division of Charter Schools, School Choice, Technology, Turnarounds and Intervention.
* Don Mitchell has been appointed as the Chief Performance Officer. Under the direction of the Deputy Commissioner, he will oversee the Office of Assessments and the newly created Office of Performance Management.
* Christopher Snyder has been appointed as the Deputy Chief Intervention Officer. Under the direction of the Chief Innovation and Intervention Officer, he will oversee the Office of Project Management and the State-operated districts.
* James Riddlesperger has been appointed as the Director of the Office of Performance Management. He will report directly to the Chief Performance Officer.
* Sue Martz is now the Chief Learning Supports and Specialized Services Officer in addition to being the Assistant Commissioner, Division of Learning Supports and Specialized Services.
* Kimberley Harrington, has been appointed as Assistant Commissioner for the Division of Teaching and Learning. Her division structure remains the same.
* Patricia Morgan has been appointed as Assistant Commissioner for the Division of Legal and External Affairs. The offices in her division remain the same.
* Jill Hulnick has been appointed as the Deputy Chief Talent and Performance Officer. She will assist Pete Shulman in carrying out the functions of the Division of Talent and Performance.
 
Academic Standards Review Committee Releases Recommendations Embracing Improved, New Jersey-Centric Standards and Marking Significant Departure from Common Core
"The previous standards did not meet that high mark for our teachers, parents, or students, and we welcomed the opportunity to get it right for our children by reviewing, improving and communicating New Jersey's academic goals," said Commissioner Hespe. Besides recommending improvements and revisions to hundreds of standards, NJDOE is proposing to re-name the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards, and the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics and English Language Arts, to the "New Jersey Student Learning Standards."

At a Glance:
February-March 2016: 3 Public Hearings North, Central, and South
April 2016 - Second Discussion Level
May 2016 - Anticipated Adoption Level Resolution
Fall 2017 - District Curriculum Realignment
The revised standards adoption will not impact PARCC for Spring 2016 and the 2016-2017 school year. Once the revised standards are adopted, NJDOE will be doing a routine assessment audit to ensure alignment. These standards revisions are unlikely to significantly impact PARCC moving forward.

Related Resources:
New Jersey Department of Education Standards Revision Executive Summary
Final ELA Complete K-12
K-12 Math Revisions
Standards Review Recommendations PowerPoint January 11th NJ St Bd of Ed Mtg
Resolution to Adopt Revised Standards for English Language Arts and Mathematics

Study Commission on Student Assessments Final Report Contains 49 Recommendations.
The Study Commission on the Use of Student Assessments in New Jersey examined New Jersey's academic standards, the use of PARCC assessments, tests administered for college credit and college admission, and how the State's overall assessment system can most effectively improve education. The Study Commission's Final Report presented recommendations to directly address:
Continuation with PARCC: New Jersey "continue its membership and participation in the PARCC consortium and annually administer the PARCC instrument as its Statewide assessment."
High School Graduation Requirement: Starting with the Class of 2021, the Commission called on NJDOE to establish passing English Language Arts 10 and the Algebra I end-of-course PARCC assessments as the requirement for graduation for initial years of implementation, with the provision for reassessing the requirements in future years. (The State will continue to allow students who do not pass the assessment needed for high-school graduation to demonstrate proficiency through the portfolio appeals process.)
Over-testing: Recommended school districts conduct a thorough inventory of their own student assessments to determine the minimum amount of testing needed to improve student learning. It also called on NJDOE to commission a study into the amount of testing in a K-12 education and how tests are being used.
Test Preparation: Called on NJDOE to develop best practices that would help schools prepare students for the test in the most time-effective manner.

PARCC Update
NJDOE Director Jeffrey Hauger, Office of Assessments, provided a past, present and future look at PARCC. 

Resolution to Establish Score Standards for Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM): Grades 3 through 8 and Grade 11 Mathematics and English Language Arts
After viewing a PowerPoint presented by NJDOE staff, the State Board adopted the resolution approving the New Jersey Standard Setting Scores for Dynamic Learning Maps, pursuant to N.J.A.C. 6A:8-4.1(b)1.

Standards and Assessment N.J.A.C. 6A:8 First Discussion - Amendments Pertaining to High School Graduation Requirements, Pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:7A-10 through 14, 18A:7C-1 et seq., 18A:7E-2 through 5, 18A:35-4.2 and 4.7, and 18A:59-5.  
This chapter, which implements the CCCS and the Statewide assessment system, is being revised due to the adoption of the PARCC assessments. The chapter requires all providers of publicly funded elementary, secondary, and adult high school education programs to align their curriculum and instruction with the CCCS, which most recently were readopted by the State Board in August and October 2014. The chapter also mandates the implementation of a Statewide assessment system to measure student achievement of the CCCS.            

NJDOE proposes amendments throughout the chapter to transition away from the comprehensive HSPA to end-of-course assessments in English Language Arts 10 and Algebra I as the Statewide assessment graduation requirement. This transition to end-of-course assessments is based, in part, upon the recommendations of the New Jersey High School Redesign Steering Committee, in addition to the recommendations in the final report of the Study Commission on the Use of Student Assessments in New Jersey. 

The State Board announced it will begin the regulatory process to improve the implementation of PARCC assessment, by providing additional flexibility and advance notification while transitioning to the use of PARCC assessments as a high school graduation requirement. The process includes opportunities for public input over the next few months once the proposal is published in the New Jersey Register.
 
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at [email protected] or 609-599-2900, ext. 126.  
 
Sincerely,

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Anne H. Gallagher
NJASA Director of Communications