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From the very first articulation of New Jersey’s Statewide Systemic Initiative, we have recognized the importance of public policy in sustaining systemic reform beyond NSF funding. Coherent public policies, along with a well-informed vision and effective programs, are cornerstones of our paradigm for systemic reform.
In Phase I NJ SSI laid an important foundation for continuing systemic reform in New Jersey well beyond the availability of NSF funding. In Phase II, NJ SSI is focusing on assuring effective implementation of the continuing education and assessment policies at the state level, and fostering supportive district and school policies for effective standards implementation at the local level.
State Level Involvement
Statewide policies that are driving reform include:
- Adoption of Core Curriculum Content Standards in mathematics, science, and six other areas by the State Board of Education (1996);
- Development and dissemination of Curriculum Frameworks in Science and Mathematics (1996-99);
- The current phasing-in of new comprehensive, standards-aligned statewide student assessments in science and mathematics at grades 4, 8, and 11 (1997-2002);
- Adoption of a new policy mandating teacher professional development by the State Board of Education (1999), requiring 100 hours of continuing education for each teacher every five years, beginning in the fall of 2000;
- Adoption of a statewide strategic plan by the NJ DOE which encompasses the goals of NJ SSI;
- The state’s technology plan advance NJ SSI’s goals;
- The proposed code governing high school graduation requires: local graduation requirements, including not less than 110 credits in courses designed to meet the standards; attendance requirements; any statutory mandated requirements; and the requirement that students demonstrate proficiency on the grade 11-12 High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA) or the Special Review Assessment (SRA), in order to be eligible for a state-endorsed diploma [http://www.state.nj.us/njded/cccs/].
As a means to inform and influence state policies in mathematics, science, and technology education, NJ SSI has coordinated and organized a number of coalitions consisting of key stakeholders from education, state government, non profit and professional organizations, and the corporate world. These coalitions, or advisory councils, have focused on secondary science, preservice education, and urban issues. Position papers on secondary science articulation, certification, and technology have been developed and distributed to the New Jersey Commissioner of Education. Additional work is currently being conducted on teacher preparation, retention, and urban education.
Local Influence
Presently, instructional program adoption, scope and sequence, and oversight
of curriculum remain matters of local control in New Jersey. NJ SSI districts
have advanced policy changes significantly at the local level ranging
from:
- Coordinating curriculum articulation K-12 across clusters of sending-receiving districts;
- Introducing block scheduling that provides lengthened periods for science and mathematics;
- Strengthening course requirements in mathematics, science, and technology, including algebra for all students;
- Collecting and analyzing student achievement data disaggregated by gender and ethnicity;
- Developing and submitting to the state a plan for technology, explicitly aligning all their federal funding (Eisenhower, Title I, Perkins) with systemic reform goals;
- Preparing for the continuing education of all their teachers.
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