Politics & Government

Super: No Child Left Behind Made Us Better

New Jersey receives waiver from test-passing standardization.

New Jersey is one of 10 states in the nation that has been granted a waiver on the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law by President Obama today,

Governor Chris Christie’s administration filed the waiver application in November 2011 as “part of a broader effort to reform the state’s overlapping and contradictory accountability systems and a comprehensive education reform agenda to increase academic standards, the effectiveness and talent of educators, and accountability for results in the classroom,” according to a statement released today.

As part of the waiver application, the Christie Administration outlined plans to act on three principles shared with the Obama Administration, including: 1) College and career ready expectations for all students; 2) State-developed differentiated recognition, accountability, and support; and 3) Supporting effective instruction and leadership, the statement said.

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The other nine states in the country to receive the waiver are Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oklahoma and Tennessee. The 100-percent test-passing rate required by NCLB was to be achieved by 2014, according to the law.

For the West Morris Regional High School District, implementing No Child Left Behind's 100-percent pass rate was difficult, but not seen as impossible, according to Superintendent Anthony di Battista.

"If your school has a group of special education students who have trouble passing an exam and you don't achieve the (NCLB) standards, you're seen as a district in need of improvement, and that's basically a bumper sticker," di Battista said. "The positives that came from it, though, were that it gave us the opportunity to look at our special education groups and other subgroups, like non-English speaking students, and correctly identify areas that needed improvement."

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di Battista, , said the district will continue to be measured in those categories and need to show consistent improvement, but won't be bound to NCLB's 100-percent pass rate.

The regional high school district's director of curriculum, Dr. Alyce Hunter, said that NCLB helped administrators implement new standards and programs, all of which will continue to be used despite the state's waiver.

"We've added a voluntary test prep course and, with parents’ permission, will institute remedial work sessions after school for students we feel could use the additional help," Hunter said. "What we've been able to do is target specific skill needs in students and help them prepare for college."

Hunter is one of five administrators in New Jersey on a committee overseeing a statewide writing curriculum that will be recommended to school districts, but not required, beginning in the 2014-15 school year.

The curriculum will still be tied to common core requirements, Hunter said, but this is the first time the state has given guidance on curriculum in English and math, she said.

"While achieving (NCLB) is difficult, this (new curriculum) will now help us to progress our students in a realistic manner," Hunter said. "In our district, it wasn't just about helping students having difficulties; we wanted all our students to make progress."

“We are once again proving that New Jersey is leading the way on the issues that matter most to our children’s future and our shared future as a state and nation. The Obama Administration’s approval of our education reform agenda contained in this application confirms that our bold, common sense, and bipartisan reforms are right for New Jersey and shared by the President and Secretary Duncan’s educational vision for the country,” said Governor Christie in the statement. “This is not about Democrats or Republicans - it is about pursuing an agenda in the best interest of our children whose educational needs are not being met, and those who are getting a decent education but deserve a great one.”  


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