On January 15, the state’s major educational organizations, including the NJSBA, and the New Jersey Department of Education issued the following statement about a collaborative effort to develop a long-term vision for strengthening teaching, leading and learning in the state’s public schools.
“We believe that by working together around an agreed upon systems-based approach, the Connected Action Roadmap (CAR), collectively we will be able to not only communicate the vision, but more importantly use our combined resources to support its implementation. This effort is not about establishing new mandates or compliance requirements, it is truly about working together to support best practices that directly and positively impact student learning.
“We know that collaboration at all levels of the public education system in our state is the key to sustaining growth for both educators and the students they serve. We commit to modeling that collaboration as we take concrete steps to realize the vision.”
The kickoff began yesterday (Jan. 14), as teams of talented educators from across the state met to learn about the vision and begin the important work of unpacking the ELA and Math New Jersey Student Learning Standards into aligned student learning objectives. The tool developed by these teams will be available to schools in the spring. All New Jersey districts have long had common standards. These teams are working to establish common learning targets to support schools in ensuring that every student has access to an aligned standards-based curriculum, the first step in ensuring equitable opportunities.
This is just step one of the process. Throughout the coming months, look for updates on progress and watch for news of regional professional learning opportunities related to the vision.
Educator-in-Residence Vincent DeLucia represents NJSBA in the CAR collaborative project. The Connected Action Roadmap Statement of Vision and Commitment can be accessed at www.njsba.org/CAR-vision.