. . . only 39.6% of New Jersey students are meeting or exceeding the State's expectations in Math, and just over half, 52.2%, are reaching or exceeding in Language Arts, per the New Jersey learning assessment scores?
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In our Legislative District 5 (LD5), less than 30% of school students are reaching or exceeding proficiency in Math, per the New Jersey learning assessments?
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In the cities of Camden, Pennsauken and Deptford, the NJ test assessments are lower still: less than 15% of the students are meeting the NJ standard for Math. Less than 30% are meeting the NJ standards for English Language Arts proficiency.
How long can we blame the COVID-era lockdowns?
The state has added layers of coursework to the curriculum, along with more therapists, social workers, etc. The curriculum is not balanced in content -- it fails to present varying sides of political and cultural viewpoints. For example, the curriculum has expanded its comprehensive health curriculum and added Gender Ideology for students as young as 1st grade.
Basic skills in K-12 education is what our students need to succeed, not just in college but in the trades, which should have equal emphasis. We support Jack Ciattarelli's proposed "3 + 1 community college" plan, that allows a students to complete 3 years of their bachelor's degree coursework at the community college and the final year at a partnering university . We advocate for an affordable, accessible college degree pathway through community college. We advocate for the option to first explore trades in community college before proceeding ahead.
Sources:
https://rc.doe.state.nj.us/2022-2023/school/summary/07/0940/030