Columbia Spotlight

There have been many national articles on the impact of the pandemic on student achievement as measured by state testing taken last year. According to the NYT, "Math Scores Fell in Nearly Every State, and Reading Dipped on National Exam," called the NAEP. Unfortunately, New Jersey didn't even make it to the top 10.  You can learn more about NJ numbers from this Star-Ledger article . In addition, you can find the 2022 NJSLA Columbia High School results for 2022 at this website . (If you recall, only 9th graders took the NJSLA in English and math. (Juniors took a new test called the NJGPA.) You can ask your supervisor for your students' specific data points too.  We will be scheduling the NJ-GPA again this year for March 13 - 17. We will then be holding the NJSLA testing later in May after AP testing. 

The holiday break always provides some time to catch up on interesting topics and reads. Here are a few articles I have meant to read about the impact of artificial intelligence on education -- the pros and the cons!  1. WSJ's " ChatGPT, Explained: What to Know About OpenAI's Chatbot " (7-minute introductory video) 2.   WaPo's " Why I’m not worried about my students using ChatGPT " 3. USA Today's " 'This shouldn’t be a surprise' The education community shares mixed reactions to ChatGPT " 4. NYT's " Alarmed by A.I. Chatbots, Universities Start Revamping How They Teach " 5.  WaPo's " Teachers are on alert for inevitable cheating after release of ChatGPT " 6. NYT's " Is A.I. the Future of Test Prep? " 7. EDsource's " Don’t throw out standardized student testing – make it better " 8. EDsurge's " Educators Are Taking Action in AI Education to Make Future-Ready Communities ...

We shared this great NYT article with our teachers today. I hope it sparks discussion on public speaking opportunities here at school.  This is the season for final exams, but maybe we should drop the pencils, paper and keyboards and start talking instead. The thought is scary at first. If Chidera Onyeoziri had known that her introductory sociology course required oral exams, “I’m not sure I would have taken the class,” she told me. She was a sophomore at Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y.; she had never taken an oral exam before. “I remember putting in a lot of work, spending a lot more time on the course than I otherwise would have,” she said. During the first exam of the semester, she coped with her nerves by getting out of her chair and pacing. Her professor, normally so friendly, stared impassively and interrupted her with questions. Looking back on the class after a few years, “I can definitely say that’s the course that I remember the most of, and that may be a function of t...

  We are so proud that many of our CHS teachers have enrolled in Kean University masters classes focusing on the Holocaust (semester 1) and Racism in America (semester 2). Kudos to Mr. Preston for organizing such professional development.  I took a version of these courses 15 years ago and Kean had partnered then with the Facing History & Ourselves organization. Their resources were incredible and I used many of their online materials and FREE books in my classes.  I remembered many of those lessons when I watched the brilliant, new Ken Burns documentary series, The US & the Holocaust streaming now on PBS. The first episode, "The Golden Door," tells the sad history of the anti-immigration movement (and the return of the KKK) in the early 20th century. I would recommend this series to all teaching US history and literature. Of course, Learning for Justice has great resources on immigration as well. 

 We are so proud that the NJDOE has created an online hub for diversity and inclusion resources. I am sure they have added the new Social Justice Learning Standards from Learning for Justice. Here's a description from the LfJ website : Promote Social Justice Learning   Social justice education is essential in the current hostile learning environment created by censorship laws and policies aimed at prohibiting the teaching of honest history and further marginalizing LGBTQ+ students and educators. Helping children understand their own identities without devaluing others; encouraging them as they find the ways we’re all connected and deserving of respect; teaching them to recognize injustice and showing them how to act against it—this is the work of social justice education. The Learning for Justice  Social Justice Standards  are designed to guide in the development of inclusive curricula to make schools safer and more just and equitable. The standards are divided...

From September 15th - October 15th, Columbia High School will commemorate National Hispanic Heritage Month.  We can't wait to see all of the neat things Dr. Robles and teachers have planned for the next 30 days! The following resources can be useful in your classroom. 1. PBS .  Along with the History Channel and CSPAN, PBS does an incredible job on its website collecting many of its features for teachers free of charge to stream!  2. National Hispanic Heritage Month Website . The Library of Congress,  National Archives and Records Administration , National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, the  Smithsonian Institution , and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum have joined in paying tribute to the generations of Hispanic Americans who have positively influenced and enriched our nation and society. This website contains various lessons and materials from across these US Government institutions! Here is the specia...

In January of this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ranked suicide as the 14th leading cause of  death in New Jersey and the third leading cause of death for those ages 10 to 24. While New Jersey continues to  have a lower rate of suicide compared to the national average, suicide remains a priority area to combat within  the State. Last year we saw how devasting a teen suicide could be. That is why it is important to learn as much as possible about the rise in teen deaths by suicide.   The emotional well-being of students and staff is paramount to ensuring a successful academic year. To support schools in their efforts to increase awareness and prevent suicide, you may find it helpful to visit the  New Jersey Department of Education’s updated Suicide Prevention website  which includes resources for students, families, school staff, and free suicide prevention education toolkits.  As always, the  New Jersey Hopeline , the...