Winter 2006

Proud recipient of the 'Dispelling the Myth' Award from the Education Trust                                                                                                        A quarterly electronic newsletter for educators on issues common to business and education.

The Sky’s the Limit: Webinars with National Leaders to Help Address Critical Issues for Administrators

How can you develop your Professional Growth Plan and avoid New Jersey’s notorious traffic at the same time?   Simply join us in one or more important webinars geared to administrators: “The Sky’s the Limit: Addressing Critical Issues For School Administrators,” hosted by the Business Coalition for Educational Excellence at the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce.  Our April 2005 conference “The Sky’s the Limit: Advancing Achievement for ALL Students” sold out quickly due to the overwhelming response, so we have decided to offer this conference using webinar technology.

Webinars are web-assisted teleconferences delivered over the Internet and telephone, so you and your staff can participate anywhere there is a computer and phone in the same room—your office, conference room or school auditorium. We have partnered with the New Jersey Association of School Administrators (NJASA) to bring you a set of ten webinars conducted by national and local leaders in their respective fields from February through May 2006.

Because you connect to the conference through your telephone and the Internet, you save travel time and expense plus you can have as many people as you wish on just one connection.  

Speaker details, presentation summaries, registration and pricing can be found on our website:  www.bcee.org  Sign up before January 20 to receive an “early bird” discount.

Thanks to Cisco Systems, Inc. for their sponsorship of the webinars.

Using Data to Drive Educational Improvement

More than twenty New Jersey schools are participating in a groundbreaking training called the Assessment Literacy Institute (ALI). The ALI is a way to use test data as a bridge from accountability to improvement.  Additionally, the ALI will drive school improvement planning, which is essential to increased academic achievement for all students.

As part of the training, the National Center for Educational Accountability (NCEA) presents schools with their current academic performance picture and helps each school develop a carefully constructed vision of what is possible for their students. This outstanding program will help schools become grounded in their performance data and be able to use the data to improve their school and individual student achievement.

The current program is already underway, but another will be offered to a limited number of school districts.

The Assessment Literacy Institute is a joint venture between the Business Coalition for Educational Excellence (BCEE) and Principals and Supervisors Association (PSA) and is being presented by the National Center for Educational Accountability (NCEA), national sponsor for Just for the Kids.

Want to get your school involved?  Or, are you interested in learning more about the Assessment Literacy Institute?  Please call Dr. Timothy Wade at the BCEE at 609-989-7888, ext. 148.

Twelve More Teachers Make the Grade in ‘05

The long road is over and New Jersey has twelve new National Board Certified Teachers!  Certification to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is the hallmark of quality for accomplished teachers. This voluntary process demands the highest level of performance from experienced teachers in a rigorous program that takes more than a year to complete. Candidates must document their subject matter knowledge, provide evidence that they know how to teach that subject matter to children, and demonstrate their ability to manage and measure student learning.

Numerous independent studies confirm the effectiveness of National Board Certification. Research indicates that students of National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) experienced year-end testing gains averaging 7% to 15% higher than students taught by non-NBCTs. These gains added up to approximately 25 more days in class, which equates to $1,250 of extra learning per student. With an average class size of 25 students, that means that an NBCT delivers more than $31,000 worth of additional instruction every year!

Of New Jersey’s 108,000 teachers, only 99 were certified to the National Board coming into 2005.  This year, twelve more teachers have earned this most prestigious credential, bringing the total to 111.  But, New Jersey still ranks 43rd in the number of teachers certified to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, so there’s a lot of room for growth.

Look for a “President’s Message,” by New Jersey Education Association President Joyce Powell, and a feature on the value of National Board Certification in the December 2005 edition of Review, the magazine of the NJEA.  And, don’t forget to call the BCEE at 609-989-7888 for more information on how to join the National Board “Class of ’06.”

Here are the National Board Certified Teachers, Class of 2005:

Learn More About National Board Certification Without Leaving Your School District

Teachers who would like to learn more about National Board Certification can do so without leaving the comfort of their own computers!  Six identical webinars are being offered from January through April to explain more about the process of becoming a National Board Certified Teacher. Webinars are web-assisted teleconferences delivered over the Internet and telephone, so you can participate anywhere that you have a computer and phone—school or home.

The Webinars will provide participants with detailed information about certification to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards including: incentives, subsidy funding, support and much more.

Join us on one of these dates:

-Thursday, February 2 at 3:30 PM  
-Wednesday, February 15 at 3:00 PM  
-Tuesday March 7 at 2:30 PM
-Tuesday, March 21 at 2:00 PM  
-Wednesday, April 5 at 3:30 PM

The cost to participate is a nominal $65.00 per connection. You can most efficiently take advantage of our webinars by arranging for dozens of teachers to participate simultaneously over one Internet connection and phone line in a centrally located conference room or auditorium. To register, please send your name, phone number, school name, school address, e-mail address and purchase order number to Donna Custard at donna@njchamber.com (call with questions 609-989-7888 ext. 120). The webinar phone number and login information will be sent with your confirmation. Professional development hours will be awarded.

These webinars are brought to you through the assistance of State Farm Insurance

State Scholars Makes Real Impact on New Jersey Students

If you haven’t looked into State Scholars NJ yet it’s not too late!  State Scholars NJ is the BCEE program that partners with you to encourage your students to take more rigorous courses in high school.  It’s a communications campaign that targets students (and their parents) in grades 6 – 11 and emphasizes to students the value and importance of making smart academic choices in high school – choices that can lead to success and reward in life after high school.

State Scholars, a national initiative in 14 states, is currently in its third year of operation in New Jersey, and already showing evidence of its impact. One of the Scholars pilot districts in north Jersey reports a 47% increase in the number of students taking Physics.  A district in south Jersey entering its second year as a Scholars school, is reporting double digit increases in the percent of Hispanic students enrolling in Geometry, Algebra II and Physics.  A central Jersey district reports that for the first time, many of the parents advocated for their children to be scheduled into demanding high school mathematics classes rather than accept enrollment in the general mathematics courses.

The BCEE is working hard to spread this message to more students throughout the state.  There are currently 14 districts using the Scholars program, and we expect that another 30 districts will join the ranks this school year.

State Scholars NJ is part of the Learn More, Do More, Earn More Student Credentialing System (LDE), a series of four programs which have the capacity to define and improve the academic knowledge, skill sets, and work ethic of students.  Other programs in the LDE system include School Counts! (attendance and work ethic), The Technology Challenge (computer proficiency), and Work the Money (financial literacy).

To learn more about the State Scholars NJ initiative, please call Sue Herring at 609-989-7888, ext. 144 or visit our website at www.learndoearn.org.

School Counts! All Around New Jersey

School Counts! is now in its 7th year of operation! The BCEE program that builds work ethics among high school students now has a presence in 14 counties -- and we expect to deploy it into about 70 schools by the end of this school year.  School Counts! scholarships are now being offered in 5 counties – and the number is growing!

Cumberland County reports that 175 of its 2005 graduates earned School Counts! certificates all four years of high school, making them eligible for full scholarships to Cumberland County College (CCC).  Of those 175, seventy-three are currently attending CCC this fall.  CCC recognized School Counts! students in October and created a video at the event that it plans to use to promote the program during Fall enrollment.

School Counts! students in Atlantic and Cape May Counties now have scholarship opportunities to attend Atlantic Cape Community College (ACCC).  South Jersey Gas raises scholarship funds through customer contributions for students in both counties.  In Cape May County, the local Chamber of Commerce offers scholarship assistance to county students who attend ACCC.  The Chamber awarded three $1,000 scholarships to graduates for Fall, 2005 enrollment.

Ocean County features almost 100% participation among high schools, thanks to the support of county superintendent Dr. Bruce Greenfield and local business partners, Chambers of Commerce, and county Rotary Clubs who have taken an active role in the effort.  Work is already underway to initiate a scholarship fund to support School Counts! students attending Ocean County College.

School Counts! rewards students who achieve a 95% or better attendance/punctuality rate, make a “C” or above in all courses, are on schedule to completing high school in eight consecutive semesters, and are on track for taking more courses than the minimum graduation requirements (110 credits).  School Counts! is part of the Learn More, Do More, Earn More Student Credentialing System (LDE), a series of four programs which have the capacity to define and improve the academic knowledge, skill sets, and work ethic of students.  Other programs in the LDE system include State Scholars NJ (academic rigor), The Technology Challenge (computer proficiency), and Work the Money (financial literacy).

Want your school to join the growing number of School Counts! participants?  Contact Sue Herring at 609-989-7888, ext. 144 or sue@njchamber.com.

Top Performing New Jersey Schools Perform on Television

Don't forget to tune into some high performing schools beginning January 24^th.  That date will signal the beginning of a 15-week series profiling a number of schools around the state that are really making a difference in the education of New Jersey students, as identified by the Just for the Kids website. The series will be broadcast on News12 New Jersey.

For the third consecutive year, the series is being made possible through the generosity of its sponsor, Educational Testing Service (ETS). The News12 segments focus on schools that are turning heads with their impressive results, as measured in standard tests in fourth, eighth and eleventh grades.

The nearly two-minute profiles begin airing Tuesday, January 24 and will run every Tuesday, seven times throughout the day, through May 2.  They will also be archived on the News 12 and BCEE websites following their air dates.  Stay tuned to News 12 to learn more about when you can see these features.

The Just for the Kids – New Jersey "data pictures" are more robust for 2005 and are now available for your use in improving your schools.  As reported in our Fall 2005 Pipeline, many new features now improve the look and feel, navigation, and consistency of information found on the website.  The features were contributed by the National Center for Educational Accountability (NCEA), national sponsor of Just for the Kids, to increase the value of information shared on the site for all users.  If you’d like to read more about the changes to this year’s Just for the Kids website, you can view our previous newsletter at www.bcee.com or visit Just for the Kids at www.just4kids.org

Just for the Kids – New Jersey encourages continuous improvement in teaching and learning by providing extensive data on school performance and key demographics. Just for the Kids – New Jersey is an educational reporting system that is fair, relevant, and positive in nature. Data analyses from Just for the Kids – New Jersey delineates successful schools and those needing improvement. Researchers use this information to study high performance in successful schools, identify educational best practices, highlight proven strategies, and assist other schools in implementing similar initiatives that lead to success.  

BCEE Participating in Upcoming NAEP Writing Project

Dr. Timothy Wade, of the BCEE, will be among those participating in the National Assessment Governing Board’s (NAGB) 2011 Writing Framework.  That effort is among others that are part of an NAGB process conducted over the next three years to determine the content and format of all subject assessments that fall under the National Assessment for Educational Progress (NAEP).

Objectives developed and adopted by the NAGB as a result of this process are used to produce NAEP assessments that are valid and reliable and that are based on widely accepted professional standards.  The process includes active participation of educators, parents and the business community.

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