The New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) – in partnership with all major education groups and the business and higher education communities in New Jersey – is working to promote and explain the Common Core State Standards.
On September 15, 2014, the NJDOE released a toolkit of resources, created by the Office of Academic Standards. These resources are designed to assist parents in understanding the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).
The NJDOE has posted the following materials on the Common Core State Standards page on their website at www.state.nj.us/education/sca/toolkit/:
- CCSS for Parents and Families: Overview: This 2-page document provides basic facts about the standards and how they are being implemented in schools.
- CCSS for Parents and Families: Myths & Facts: This 2-page document addresses common misconceptions about the CCSS.
- CCSS for Parents and Families: Resources: This 2-page document includes an annotated, categorized list of online resources that explain and exemplify the standards.
- CCSS Brochure for Parents and Families: This tri-fold brochure includes a basic explanation of the CCSS and remarks from major stakeholders who support the standards, including the NJEA, NJPSA, PTA, business and higher education communities, etc.
As the school year progresses, the Office of Academic Standards will provide additional home and school materials on the CCSS and details on how schools can offer Parent Academies for Student Learning.
There are many misconceptions and myths surrounding the CCSS. Therefore, we urge all of our parents to invest a few moments to review the information posted on the NJDOE website.
During the past three years our district has provided extensive professional development pertaining to the CCSS. As part of this process we have invested a considerable amount of time reviewing the CCSS and come to the conclusion that although the standards are far more rigorous, they will ultimately help us better prepare our students for college and career readiness.
Our teaching staff has made the instructional shift in the classroom necessary to address the CCSS and we have modified our curricula as well.
Last March we provided an overview of the Common Core State Standards at a meeting hosted by our Southampton PTA. We will be following up with another such workshop in the coming months. In the meantime, we hope you will take some time to familiarize yourself with the information pertaining to the CCSS provided by the New Jersey Department of Education.
We have attached two of the NJDOE resource documents to this articles for your easy reference.
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