I am also fortunate to teach in an Abbott District which provides additional funding for economically disadvantaged districts. This has allowed for increased staffing, smaller class size, early childhood programs, early intervention programs, and also new school buildings.
All teachers in New Jersey must now be or working toward becoming highly qualified. The standards also make teachers more accountable.
Each teacher must also fill out a Personal Improvement Plan after they have been observed annually.
The laws and standards provide that all students throughout the state should be learning the same educational content.
Now for the shackles: It is one thing to work in an Abbott District but it is another thing to live in a district that receives little state aid(North Arlington). The North Arlington district operates on a shoe- string budget and does a fantastic job in achieving its state mandated benchmarks.
All schools must implement a four year old pre-K program, but not a three year old program like the Abbott's.
I also have a benefit and a shackle: Professional development. In my many years of teaching, I have sat through many In-District workshops that had little to do advancing my abilities as a Physical Education teacher. Some of these workshops need to be more teaching content area specific. For instance, perhaps a district wide workshop solely for Health and Phys. Ed. teachers to discuss the implementation of the President's Physical fitness test.
Do most teachers adhere to the standards?
It is my opinion that most teachers at Harrison HS adhere to the standards. Being that we are an Abbott district, we are closely monitored and at many of the aforementioned workshops , our principal drums it into our heads our responsibilities in this regard.
How about the national standards?
After viewing the national standards for Health and Phys. Ed., I must say that the national standards are a bit more comprehensive than New Jersey's. However, New Jersey is one of the few states that mandate twelve years of Phys. Ed. for their students.
I feel that the national standards could be used as a guideline that state programs should try to achieve.
Larry,
ReplyDeleteYour answer to the first question was great! I originally did not see many benefits from state intervention for schools, but you have convinced me otherwise. One thing I do not like about our Abbott system is that they eventually pull the funding-plug on it, usually leading that school district down a path of degradation. Again, I am not a teacher yet, so I have never seen any of this firsthand, however logically this seems to be the path in which many of the schools must head towards.
-Gregg
I really appreciate what you said about finding the benefits of being an Abbott District. That is truly taking advantage of the raw materials you're given.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with you about having separate In-Services by subject. I am required to provide at least 4 In-Services for my teachers per year. I try to have 2 of them (at least) be only with other teachers in their department. Teachers are so busy that it is difficult to keep up on the new developments in the profession, and this has proven one way to do that. We have found other ways to have the instructors do the "teaching" development through the use of some on-line courses, to leave more time for the departmental development.
You said it all with that last statement in your blog. You said that the national standards is something that state guidelines should try to achieve, but should not be mandatory. That actually sounds like a great plan. I don't know much about how districts and states come up wit these, but if I was to take a stab at it I would say that they are pretty intertwined with the national guidelines. By the way, I think it's very interesting that North Arlington is an Abbott district. I just found that out today. In my district teachers are also to fill out the PIP forms, but I'm pretty sure that is one of the state mandates. I am not sure how I feel about those. I think that lots of people will put anything to make them sound good on paper.
ReplyDeleteHow do you know that you (and other PE teachers) are adhering to the standards without an assessment to show you that kids have met them, unlike in English or Math?
ReplyDelete