On Sept. 16, the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) Office of Special Education (OSE) announced that it is seeking educators interested in serving on the New Jersey Student Learning Standards (NJSLS) and Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program (VB-MAPP) Alignment Project Advisory Panel. 

The goal of the advisory panel is to guide the development of alignment between the VB-MAPP milestones with the New Jersey Student Learning Standards in English Language Arts and Mathematics for Kindergarten through Grade 8. This resource is intended to support educators in designing standards-based, individualized instruction for students with autism and other students with complex communication and learning needs. 

The Advisory Panel will be comprised of a diverse group of stakeholders with expertise in autism education, standards-based instruction, curriculum alignment, and applied behavior analysis. Individuals with experience in one or more of the following areas are encouraged to apply: 

  • Teaching students with autism in public school settings K-8 
  • New Jersey Student Learning Standards in English Language Arts and/or Mathematics K-8 
  • VB-MAPP administration and instructional programming 
  • Applied Behavior Analysis in educational settings 
  • Speech-language pathology or other related service 
  • Special education curriculum and instruction 
  • Educational leadership supporting students with autism 

Selected Advisory Panel members will review and align VB-MAPP milestones with NJSLS, provide professional feedback to ensure alignments are instructionally meaningful, developmentally appropriate, and educationally relevant, and participate in subcommittees responsible for developing and refining assigned alignment work. 

Only those selected to serve on the Advisory Panel will participate in project activities. Panel members will be expected to: 

  • Attend one virtual project kickoff meeting on December 17, 2026 @ 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. 
  • Attend monthly full-day, in-person meetings held at the Learning Resource Center North, East Orange (In-person dates can be found on the application form). 
  • Participate in assigned subcommittee work between in-person meetings, including independent review, collaboration, and development of alignment documents. 
  • Be active participants throughout the duration of the project. 

Application Process 

Interested applicants are to complete the online application and upload a current résumé or curriculum vitae by October 16, 2026. Only complete applications received by the deadline will be considered. Applicants selected to serve on the Advisory Panel will be notified following the review process. 

The NJDOE OSE encourages applications from educators representing diverse geographic regions, professional roles, educational settings, and various levels of experience. Broad representation will help ensure the resulting resource reflects the expertise and experiences of all educator roles serving students with autism throughout New Jersey. 

Contact information 

For any questions, please contact Dr. Amanda Philp in NJDOE’s Office of Special Education via email at Amanda.Philp@doe.nj.gov.