The NJASK is the New Jersey assessment of Skills and Knowledge and every student in grades 3 through 8 in all New Jersey Schools are required to take it. Every spring, teachers are biting their nails, students are sleepless and anxious and administrators are barking orders as the stress overtakes us all. Unfortunately it all comes down to the all mighty dollar. If students don't do well, the schools don't make their AYP or Annual Yearly Progress and the schools could lose funding or worse, lose their sovereignty as the state takes over. Every teacher will tell you that the assessment is too difficult and unfair. Each student has an identification number as does the teacher. If the student does poorly, these scores are linked to the teacher's and could be the impetus of the firing of many. Before you agree with this keep in mind that there are many reasons a student may not do well on the test; test anxiety, lack of understanding the questions (as the teachers are not allowed to explain), poor nights sleep, no breakfast, death in the family, and the list goes on. Special education students are required to take the test on grade level, yet by definition, they are not able to complete grade level work and again the teachers are not able to help, or read to the students. For more information about the NJASK click on this link below.
http://www.state.nj.us/education/assessment/es/njask_info_guide.pdf
Are you confused by the terminology used by your child's teachers? Is special education something you are considering for your child? There are many questions probably going through your mind and when answered you may be just as confused (or more so) than before you asked. The good news is that there is help out there and it is free. Statewide Parent Advocacy Network or SPAN (because we love our acronyms) offers Information Specialists who assist parents, educators, service providers in attaining appropriate education and health care services for children
The mission of the Statewide Parent Advocacy Network is to empower and support families and inform and involve professionals and others interested in the healthy development and education of children and youth. So if you need help or just have a few questions you may want to consider contacting SPAN at the link below.
http://www.spannj.org/
Has your child's teacher mentioned I&RS to you? Maybe you've heard other parents mention it and wondered what this acronym is all about. To put it simply, I&RS is help; help for the teacher, help for the student and even help for the parent. Teachers have many tricks up their sleeves to help those students who are struggling academically. Sometimes those tricks don't work and the teacher seeks help from others to try new things to get the student to succeed. This is where the I&RS team comes in. I&RS stands for Intervention and Referral Services and is intended to get those struggling students up to par with the rest of the class. To read more about the various steps and/or reasons for I&RS click on this link below.
http://www.state.nj.us/education/students/irs/
Hello and welcome to Mrs. Smith's Land of Learning Blog! As a teacher I appreciate the need of education for all students. However, as a parent I appreciate the lack of education for the parents. This blog is intended to guide parents through the various hurdles in dealing with their child's education. I hope you find this blog helpful throughout your journey. If you ever have any questions or suggestions please feel free to post a comment.
