The State Board of Education on June 16 adopted a resolution calling for New Jersey’s curriculum standards to be aligned with national Common Core Standards in math and language arts literacy.
The Common Core Standards is a state-led initiative that aims to establish basic, uniform education requirements across the country. It is sponsored by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers with the participation of many states, including New Jersey.
The standards will be phased in over time, with curriculum development scheduled to begin in 2010-2011. The State Board’s resolution “directs that school district curricula for all students be aligned with these revised K-12 standards in mathematics and English language arts and literacy in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects,” according to the phased-in timeline.
NJSBA had testified in March in support of the standards, saying that the authority for the management of public schools must remain with local boards of education – and the concepts embedded in the Common Core Standards appear to maintain that local authority.
The Common Core Standards can be accessed online.