Due to icing conditions and inclement winter weather, the Port Authority has postponed tomorrow's public hearing in Jersey City on the Cross Harbor Freight Program.

The meeting will now be held Feb. 26 from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Mary McLeod Bethune Life Center at 140 Martin Luther King Drive.


http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... ys_cros.html#incart_river

Quote:

I think this is an interesting conundrum facing an industry that isn't exactly quantifiable.

What is the break-point at which tests no longer measure results but hinder advancing the knowledge base? What are the type of tests that should be given so that broad understanding, creativity and advancement of information is measured? Can it even be measured?

"Over the course of the school year, the student spends all or part of more than 15 different school days in standardized or other major testing, she said."

How does this compare to the time students spend on testing and exams in an average American university?

Somehow the people who work in education always claim that any attempt to measure an outcome of their work is making them produce worse results.

Great coverage from News 12 of Wednesday's Jersey City hearing of the Governor's Testing Study Commission.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whcQKIE3OhE

JERSEY CITY ? It starts in the fall with benchmark assessments and student growth objectives and ends in the spring with final exams and AP tests.

In between, high school students have to take the annual state assessments in English and math, not to mention their regular schedule of classroom tests and quizzes.

The result, said Hanover Park Regional High School District Superintendent Carol Grossi, is hours of instructional time sacrificed in favor of testing and test prep. In other words, "a huge problem," Grossi said.

Grossi testified Wednesday in Jersey City in front of the Study Commission on the Use of Student Assessments in New Jersey. The commission was ordered by Gov. Chris Christie to study "the volume, frequency, and impact of student testing."

In a handout presented to members of the commission, Grossi outlined the testing schedule for one of her ninth grade students. Over the course of the school year, the student spends all or part of more than 15 different school days in standardized or other major testing, she said.

"I am concerned about how classroom instruction will be disrupted for weeks at a time to participate in testing," said Grossi, whose district has about 1,600 students in two high schools.

In courses with students from multiple grade levels, instruction may also be interrupted for the students who aren't pulled for testing, she said.

"If the students who are testing are not present in their classes, teachers may be reluctant to introduce new material," Grossi said.

Grossi said she hopes the nine-member panel can make positive recommendations to Christie to help students and schools, but said she knows it's a challenge.

The study commission acknowledged in a preliminary report last that week that students may be subject to too much testing, though not necessarily because of state tests.

It recommended schools review the universe of tests and quizzes being given in classrooms and determine the minimum testing necessary to serve diagnostic, instructional, and accountability purposes.

Wednesday was the first public testimony session before the commission and most of the 45 people who registered were parents or teachers expressing concerns about the new Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers exams. Several were the same speakers who flooded the state's Board of Education meeting earlier this month to criticize the tests.

The commission has yet to make any recommendations on PARCC, the Common Core standards introduced last year or the use of student data. However, it has identified each of those as key topics it will discuss and make recommendations on in its final report, due July 31, Education Commissioner David Hespe said last week.

The commission will hold another public testimony session at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Jackson Liberty High School auditorium in Jackson. A session on Tuesday in Camden County was canceled because of the weather.

Adam Clark may be reached at adam_clark@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on twitter at @realAdamClark. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

http://www.nj.com/education/2015/01/s ... tendent.html#incart_river

Today

4 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2015, at the Franklin Williams Middle School (MS #7) Auditorium, 222 Laidlaw Ave, Jersey City, NJ 07306 (use this address for direction/GPS purposes)

Parking will available on the side of the school building. The public will not be permitted to park alongside the school or enter the school building until 3:30 p.m.

Jersey City School District website: www.jcboe.org

Interim Report

http://www.nj.gov/education/studycommission/InterimReport.pdf



4 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2015, at the Franklin Williams Middle School (MS #7) Auditorium, 222 Laidlaw Ave, Jersey City, NJ 07306 (use this address for direction/GPS purposes)

Parking will available on the side of the school building. The public will not be permitted to park alongside the school or enter the school building until 3:30 p.m.

The Study Commission on the Use of Student Assessments in New Jersey is a nine-member body charged with presenting recommendations to Governor Chris Christie regarding the quality and effectiveness of student assessments administered to students in kindergarten through grade 12. Created via Executive Order No. 159, the Study Commission will consider and make recommendations on the volume, frequency and impact of student assessments occurring throughout New Jersey school districts, and on the Core Curriculum Content Standards, including the Common Core State Standards.

Public Testimony Sessions

The Study Commission on the Use of Student Assessments in New Jersey will hold three sessions to listen to testimony from the public. Persons interested in testifying are asked to pre-register online or by calling 609-984-6024. The Study Commission recommends testimony be limited to five minutes per person.

Individuals registering to testify are asked to bring to the session 10 copies of their testimony so it can be distributed to all Study Commission members. Testimony also can be submitted via email at studycommission@doe.state.nj.us or online at http://highpoint.state.nj.us/educatio ... ycommission/contact.shtml.

Please be aware that all public testimony sessions will be videotaped.

In case of inclement weather, the Study Commission's public sessions will be cancelled if the hosting institution is closed. The second and third sessions also will be cancelled if the hosting school districts have an early dismissal. People register to testify or who are interested in attending are encouraged to check the hosting institution's website for information in case of inclement weather; links to the websites are provided below.

4 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2015, at the Franklin Williams Middle School (MS #7) Auditorium, 222 Laidlaw Ave, Jersey City, NJ 07306 (use this address for direction/GPS purposes)

Parking will available on the side of the school building. The public will not be permitted to park alongside the school or enter the school building until 3:30 p.m.

Jersey City School District website: www.jcboe.org