Creative Freedom in the Classroom: Blog 3

#3
Arlene Ackerman’s Imagine 2014 district improvement plan aims to “[revise] language arts, math, science, and social studies curricula to be more integrated, rigorous and relevant in preparing students for college and careers in the 21st century.” This past year, the district identified new literacy and math programs, and plans to institute new English and Math curriculums for 2010.
I haven’t been able to find the details of these new curriculums. A powerpoint presented to the School Reform Commission outlining the goals of Imagine 2014 lists raising test scores and increasing the number of “predicative assessments” as goals for 2011. A focus on test scores means that teachers have to spend more time teaching to the test and less time teaching creatively to the interests of their students. “Predicative assessments”, I believe, is just another term for more testing.
It’s clear that Arlene Ackerman holds the most power regarding my issue, but I think Larry Farnese has the power to approach her. He certainly is involved in getting education funding for the state.

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