New Jersey Student Learning Standards: Shaping Education for the Future

The New Jersey Student Learning Standards (NJSLS) serve as a roadmap for education in the state, guiding curriculum development and instruction across various subjects and grade levels. These standards are the result of collaborative efforts, incorporating national and international models, research findings, and input from a diverse range of stakeholders, including educators, scholars, assessment developers, professional organizations, parents, students, and members of the public. Through multiple revisions and extensive feedback, the NJSLS represent a synthesis of the most effective elements of standards-related work in New Jersey.

Development and Implementation

The development of the NJSLS is a meticulous process, drawing upon a wide array of sources and expertise. This collaborative approach ensures that the standards reflect the needs and aspirations of the New Jersey educational community. The Office of Standards plays a crucial role in supporting the effective implementation of the NJSLS by offering customized professional learning experiences, developing resources tailored to the needs of New Jersey schools, and providing guidance based on current and relevant educational research, policies, and regulations. Content area specialists foster partnerships with state and national organizations, government agencies, and higher education institutions to identify challenges and create resources that support a well-rounded education for all students.

Key Features of the NJSLS

The NJSLS encompass a range of subjects, including English Language Arts (ELA), Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, and others. They also address important cross-curricular themes, such as climate change and digital literacy.

Integration of Climate Change Education

In a groundbreaking move, New Jersey became the first state in the nation to integrate climate change education across content areas with the adoption of the 2020 NJSLS. This initiative recognizes the urgency of addressing climate change and the importance of equipping students with the knowledge and skills to understand and respond to this global challenge. Districts are encouraged to utilize the NJSLS to develop interdisciplinary units focused on climate change that include authentic learning experiences, integrate a range of perspectives, and are action-oriented. While the 2016 NJSLS-English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics do not have specific climate change standards, districts may want to consider how they can design interdisciplinary climate change units that incorporate relevant ELA and mathematics standards.

Examples of climate change-related concepts addressed in the NJSLS include:

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How human activities, such as the release of greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels, are major factors in the current rise in Earth’s mean surface temperature (global warming).
Employing a variety of research methods to inform the development of original dances about global issues, including climate change.

Emphasis on Interdisciplinary Connections

The NJSLS promote interdisciplinary learning, encouraging educators to connect concepts and skills across different subject areas. This approach helps students develop a more holistic understanding of the world and see the relevance of their learning to real-world issues. For example, districts can design interdisciplinary climate change units that incorporate relevant ELA and mathematics standards, even if those standards do not explicitly mention climate change.

Focus on Real-World Applications

The NJSLS emphasize the application of knowledge and skills to real-world contexts. Students are encouraged to engage in authentic learning experiences that allow them to solve problems, make decisions, and create solutions. For instance, the standards address how things that people do to live comfortably can affect the world around them and how energy and fuels that humans use are derived from natural sources and their use affects the environment in multiple ways.

Examples of Specific Standards

The NJSLS provide specific learning objectives for each grade level and subject area. These standards cover a wide range of topics, including:

Science:
- All animals need food in order to live and grow, obtaining their food from plants or other animals.
- Weather is the combination of sunlight, wind, snow or rain, and temperature in a particular region at a particular time.
- Living things need water, air, and resources from the land, and they live in places that have the things they need.
- A variety of natural hazards result from natural processes.
- The food of almost any kind of animal can be traced back to plants.
- Organisms are related in food webs in which some animals eat plants for food and other animals eat the animals that eat plants.
- Decomposition eventually restores (recycles) some materials back to the soil.
- Organisms can survive only in environments in which their particular needs are met.
- A healthy ecosystem is one in which multiple species of different types are each able to meet their needs in a relatively stable web of life.
- Matter cycles between the air and soil and among plants, animals, and microbes as these organisms live and die.
- Earth’s major systems are the geosphere (solid and molten rock, soil, and sediments), the hydrosphere (water and ice), the atmosphere (air), and the biosphere (living things, including humans). These systems interact in multiple ways to affect Earth’s surface materials and processes.
- The ocean supports a variety of ecosystems and organisms, shapes landforms, and influences climate.
- Food webs are models that demonstrate how matter and energy is transferred between producers, consumers, and decomposers as the three groups interact within an ecosystem.
- Transfers of matter into and out of the physical environment occur at every level.
- Decomposers recycle nutrients from dead plant or animal matter back to the soil in terrestrial environments or to the water in aquatic environments.
- Ecosystems are dynamic in nature; their characteristics can vary over time.
- Biodiversity describes the variety of species found in Earth’s terrestrial and oceanic ecosystems.
- All Earth processes are the result of energy flowing and matter cycling within and among the planet’s systems. This energy is derived from the sun and Earth’s hot interior.
- Weather and climate are influenced by interactions involving sunlight, the ocean, the atmosphere, ice, landforms and living things.
- Human activities have significantly altered the biosphere, sometimes damaging or destroying natural habitats and causing the extinction of other species.
Engineering Design:
- Possible solutions to a problem are limited by available materials and resources (constraints).
- The success of a designed solution is determined by considering the desired features of a solution (criteria).
- Research on a problem should be carried out before beginning to design a solution.
- The more precisely a design task’s criteria and constraints can be defined, the more likely it is that the designed solution will be successful.
- Both physical models and computers can be used in various ways to aid in the engineering design process.
- Humanity faces major global challenges today, such as the need for supplies of clean water and food or for energy sources that minimize pollution, which can be addressed through engineering.
Technology:
- Computers store data that can be retrieved later.
Visual and Performing Arts:
- Designs can be conveyed through sketches, drawings, or physical models.
- An artist's appreciation of media artworks is influenced by their interests, experiences, understandings, and purposes.

Afterschool Quality Standards

In addition to the NJSLS for academic subjects, New Jersey also has Quality Standards for Afterschool programs (NJQSA). These standards are designed to promote high-quality out-of-school time programs that support the development of young people.

History and Development of the NJQSA

In 2010, the New Jersey School-Age Care Coalition (NJSACC), with support from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and the New Jersey Department of Education, convened a group of afterschool leaders to define quality in afterschool programs. The committee members represented a diverse range of organizations and communities across the state. Over 18 months, the committee identified and defined all aspects of quality afterschool programming, drawing upon their expertise and reviewing quality standards developed by other states and national organizations. The first edition of the Quality Standards was released in November 2012. In 2013, diverse afterschool programs throughout the state utilized this resource and shared their experiences with NJSACC.

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Categories and Standards

The NJQSA includes six categories, 67 standards, and 300 standard elements:

Administration: The administration effectively manages the procedures, policies, staff, and other elements of the program framework that enable a high level of program quality.
Healthy Behaviors: Nutrition and Physical Activity
Human Relationships
Indoor and Outdoor Environment
Programming and Activities
Safety and Environmental Health

Examples of specific standards within the Administration category include:

The program has and uses a mission statement.
The administration takes steps to facilitate continuous improvement in program quality.
The administration offers staff the best possible working conditions and pay.
The administration provides a high-quality system of professional development and opportunities for professional growth through capacity building and career development.
Professional development includes content on disability, inclusion, and reasonable accommodations that are appropriate and high quality.
The administration manages volunteers effectively.
The administration takes steps to support effective communication.
The administration values input and feedback about the program and is responsive to it.
There are policies or procedures in place that involve families in the life of the program.
The program respects the rights of the youth, parents/guardians, and staff.
The program communicates a message of inclusion, that youth of all abilities are welcome.
The administration maintains and updates program policies and records.
The administration acts responsibly regarding program finances and financial sustainability.
The administration maintains sufficient staff, youth ratios and supervision of youth.
The administration stays current on licensing and other relevant laws and regulations.

NJSACC Program Improvement Process

The NJSACC promotes a continuous program improvement concept, encouraging afterschool programs to:

Celebrate the program’s strengths.
Identify areas for improvement based on the NJQSA standards.
Develop and implement a plan for improvement.
Evaluate the effectiveness of the plan and make adjustments as needed.

Resources for Educators

The New Jersey Department of Education and other organizations provide a variety of resources to support educators in implementing the NJSLS. These resources include:

Teacher Toolkits: Containing information, guidance, and resources for teacher professional development, learning, and certification processes.
Online Resources: Collections of free resources for use by educators and families.
PDF Guides: Standards are arranged by domain, and then grade band within each domain. PDF links to the standards can be found on the right side of the page under 2016 NJSLS-ELA. Standards are divided by grade level. PDF guide of standards broken down by grade level and content. View the table of contents on page 2 to find standards by grade level or course. PDF guide of K-12 science standards. View the table of contents on page 2 to find standards by grade level or course. PDF guide of SS standards. Standards are arranged by domain, and then grade band within each domain.
Frameworks: The National Council for Social Studies provides a framework for social studies standards. CASEL provides a framework that contains 5 dimensions of socio-emotional learning. Use the table of contents to browse the domains, and then click on the appropriate grade level. These standards state what P-12 students should learn about engaging with technology. The Learning for Justice Digital Literacy Framework offers seven key areas in which students need support developing digital and civic literacy skills. Learning for Justice provides this framework for anti-bias education at every grade level. All anchor standards (for all subjects and grade levels) can be seen on the home page. Published jointly by NCTE and the International Reading Association (IRA) in 1996, The Standards for the English Language Arts is designed to complement other national, state, and local standards and contributes to ongoing discussion about English language arts classroom activities and curricula. Includes standards and resources.

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