What Do Montclair Residents Really Want for Our Schools?

Montclair, along with school districts across the state, is in the final steps of preparing for the Core Curriculum Content Standards (CCCS) initiative, which must be in place by the start of the 2013-14 school year.

The standards outline what students should know at the end of each school year from kindergarten through 12th grade and provide specific benchmarks for student achivement in nine areas, according to the New Jersey Department of Education.

But not everyone is in agreement with the CCCS or Montclair Schools' plan to meet those standards, a.k.a. the Strategic Operating Plan.

For months, parents have been vocal at forums called by the district’s Superintendent of Schools Penny MacCormack about their distaste for standardized testing, and the “teaching to the test” practices associated with them.

One concern is that too much time will be spent on testing and not enough on learning. Another is how, if at all, can a test measure creativity? 

The Facebook Page, Montclair Cares About Schools, was created a few months back and has 69 followers and counting.

The goal of the page is for parents, educators and anyone interested in the future of Montclair schools to discuss the town’s education system.

The page administrator asks, “What do Town residents really want for our Schools?”

Examples of recent articles shared on the page are, New Data Shows School “Reformers” Are Full Of It from Salon and How Common Core Tests Crush Creativity, from the blog With a Brooklyn Accent.

Meanwhile, at Monday night’s Board of Education meeting, MacCormack went on the record saying she does not believe in teaching to the test.

“Is it all about measurement? Is it all about testing? I am here to say tonight that it’s not all about measurement, it’s not all about testing,” she told the public.

She added, “I like teaching to prepare students for rigorous standards."

If you are a parent or educator or someone concerned about the future of Montclair Schools, we want to hear from you.

Tell us what you think of the Strategic Operating Plan and the Common Core Curriculum Standards. How well do you think they will prepare students for the 21st century and the global workplace?