I believe that I bring a unique perspective to the implementation of content standards in
New Jersey. I've spent over 30 years in New Jersey's public schools teaching language arts in grades 6 through 12, for all level students, and in rich, poor and middle class districts. I eventually became the lead English teacher at Morris Knolls High School where I managed a department of 20 teachers.
I've published three books on writing, SAT Prep, and ACT Prep. While researching the writing manuscript, I was invited to Harvard to study their writing program, reputed to be the best in the country. I also invented a vocabulary game and program that is so different from anything in existence, it received a patent from the United States Government.
I now work for Instructivision Educational Publishing where I've developed innovative teaching strategies, techniques, and classroom instructional materials. I've traveled the state and country providing professional development for teachers.
My most notable accomplishment, however, is being the parent of a successful public school student. My daughter graduated near the top of her class, attended Villanova and, while other engineering students were dropping out, she excelled. When she graduated, she was offered fellowships in more than one PhD program. She is now writing her dissertation for a doctorate in Geo- Technical Engineering.
My daughter succeeded in public school because I supplemented her classroom instruction. Her education lacked development of basic skills. Fortunately, I knew, how, when and why she should learn these skills and was able to fill the gap. I provided taught her as I taught my own students. Yes, her teachers worked hard but they often worked hard doing the wrong things. They didn't teach writing, they gave writing assignments, graded them and returned them to the class. It resulted in teachers becoming better editors and student learning nothing about how to write. Her teachers gave reading assignments but didn't use them as springboards for critical thinking. They gave oral presentation assignments but never explained or demonstrated the requisite skills to complete them.
Content standards are now forcing teachers to incorporate basic skills into classroom lessons but they don't know how to do it. They are looking for help, assistance, and support.
They are looking to companies like Instructivision and we stand ready to help.
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You rightly set the standards for our schools and tell teachers what to teach, we can show them how to do it. We are your partners in implementing this standard-driven directive.
We look to you to keep us working hard for New Jersey schools. The end of year assessments that you create are the starting point in working within a school's curriculum. We don't teach to the test but we do focus on the standards assessed on the test.
When you consider making a change in an end-of-year assessment, please give us all a chance to examine the skills being tested by:
. notifying us at least a year ahead of time
. publicizing the notification so it doesn't get buried in volumes of information
. give specific examples that demonstrate mastery of the skill
When you change a section on the test, you are adding a new skill to be assessed. If we don't have sufficient notice, we don't have adequate time to prepare the quality instructional materials that schools have come to expect from us, and they can't do it alone. When this happens the gap between what a school must do, and how to do it, widens. Teachers are left without the help they need, frustration grows, and basic skills once again fall through the cracks.
In these instances, companies like mine are forced to throw out cases of books that contain exemplars of old assessments because they're considered outdated and schools cannot use them.
Please stop this from happening. Help us help you. We are a valuable asset to you and
New Jersey's schools but we need to stay in business so we can provide the help, guidance, assistance and support that our schools need.
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