Board hears education ‘redesign’ plans

By Eileen Oldfield Staff Writer
   MANVILLE — District Superintendent Donald Burkhardt’s presentation of state plans to redesign curriculum and instruction for grades six through 12 left Board of Education members with one question Tuesday: Who’s paying for it?
   The revisions, which will be required in schools statewide, include changes in how classes are taught, more specific graduation requirements, changes in educational plans, and changes in testing for schools.
   Department of Education spokesman Rich Vespucci said the revisions follow plans many states are considering, as colleges and workplaces report that high school students are not prepared for their next phase of academic learning.
   ”We’re sending students out saying, ‘You’re ready to go to college, you’re ready to go to work,’” Mr. Vespucci said. “And the colleges and employers are saying, ‘You’re not ready.’”
   But the board still wondered who provides the financial backing.
   ”Who’s paying for it?” school board member Ned Panfile said after viewing the presentation.
   ”We don’t know,” Dr. Burkhardt responded. “The commissioner has said we have enough money.”
   Dr. Burkhardt said many of the questions surrounding the plan remained unanswered for the district, including cost and timelines.
   According to Mr. Vespucci, the plan isn’t meant to cost districts more, but to change instruction and prepare students for college or the workplace.
   ”It’s not going to cost more money,” Mr. Vespucci said. “It’s about how you are directing your resources.”
   The plan includes more specific graduation requirements, including a list of specific courses students must complete in order to graduate.
   The plan also includes individual education plans for each student, with the intent of allowing teachers to pinpoint individual students’ strengths and weaknesses and to design assignments that help them strengthen weak areas.
   Also, standardized tests for math and reading would change to end-of-course testing covering each subject a student studies.
   The changes aren’t meant as an overnight occurrence, Mr. Vespucci said, with the Department of Education expecting the plan to be implemented over six to eight years, or longer.
   Mr. Vespucci said that feedback from both higher education institutions and workplaces hinted that the “by rote” instruction used for years may not adequately prepare students for either college or working.
   Noting a shift toward critical thinking skills, communication, problem resolutions, and research skills needed for the modern world, and economic shifts that require more technical knowledge in the workplace, Mr. Vespucci said many job options that were available in past years are not as feasible now.
   Though students can choose where they go after high school, the concentration is preparing each student for college, Mr. Vespucci said.
   ”One of the premises is to prepare all students to go to college, whether or not they go,” Mr. Vespucci said. “The student is preparing for all opportunities.”