NJ Spotlight published the following article on June 9, 2014. To read the full article, click here.
NJ EDUCATORS LEARN HOW COMMON CORE WORKS — AND WHAT WORK THEY NEED TO DO
JOHN MOONEY | JUNE 9, 2014Conference includes key session on collaborative, multi-discipline approach described as pivotal part of new standards
They weren’t there to debate its value or argue about whether it should be delayed.
Rather, the approximately 300 New Jersey educators who attended a conference on the Common Core Standards and PARCC testing last week came to learn what they’ll need to teach and do in what many agree will amount to a sea-change in what kids learn and how they’re taught.
Organized by the state Department of Education, the conference held Friday at New Jersey City University was a collection of workshops on everything from explaining specifics of the Common Core standards to how to apply the standards for math to the classroom. One workshop was for principals and other school leaders. Another dealt specifically with writing instruction and the upcoming online PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) exams.
Among the best attended workshops was a session on “seven essential literacy strategies” for integrating the new standards and preparing for the PARCC exams. Taught by NJCU education dean Allan DeFina, the afternoon session drew more than 50 educators.