For Release: May 8, 2003
Commissioner Librera Welcomes Federal Approval of States NCLB Accountability Plan
Commissioner of Education William L. Librera this week welcomed approval by the U.S. Department of Education of New Jerseys accountability plan submitted under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
"We have strengthened our existing system in accordance with NCLB requirements to monitor student performance as they improve on their statewide tests toward the goal of meeting 100 percent proficiency by the year 2014," said Commissioner Librera. "This is another way to close the achievement gap so that no student is left behind in New Jersey."
New Jersey is the 17th state to have its Consolidated State Application Accountability Workbook approved by the federal Department of Education. The approval was announced by Brian Jones, senior advisor and general counsel to U.S. Education Secretary Rod Paige following a tour of the Washington Elementary School in Trenton.
"With todays approval, we can build on the existing foundation of accountability that includes statewide core curriculum content standards and a system of assessments linked to these standards," Commissioner Librera said.
The Consolidated Accountability Workbook is New Jerseys response to 10 critical elements required by the USDE to hold the state, local school districts, administrators and educators accountable for student achievement. The focus of the workbooks content is on yearly progress for students and schools.
The ultimate goal of the 100 percent of students achieving proficiency on state tests by 2014 and setting intermediate goals and benchmarks between now and 2014 to gauge student progress. The workbook also addresses how the state intends to close academic achievement gaps in language arts literacy, math and ultimately science at critical checkpoints. New Jerseys approval of its accountability workbook is one in a series of events for implementing the requirements of NCLB.