Official Site of The State of New Jersey

The Learning Acceleration guide was crafted using a variety of resources from a developing research base.

• Council of the Great City Schoolsprovided the foundational guidance that informed the NJDOE Learning Acceleration Guide and offers a number of additional resources to support the work of accelerating learning.
• Student Achievement Partners offers a resource collection entitled Designing Equitable Learning Experiences which guides educators in taking a student-centered approach to instructional planning.
• U.S. Department of Education’s National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments offers guidance on designing school reopening plans to meet the needs of students, educators, and staff.

In what ways can the larger school community work together to create social, emotional and/or mental health supports and drive accelerated learning for all students?

• Council of the Great City Schools provided the foundational guidance that informed the NJDOE Learning Acceleration Guide and offers a number of additional resources to support the work of accelerating learning.
• NJDOE’s school climate survey is a tool that can be used to gather feedback around school culture and climate from key stakeholders to address specific challenges that may have emerged as a result of the COVID-19 public health emergency.
• WestEd’s Justice and Prevention Research Center’s Restorative Justice in US Schools: An Updated Research Review offers guidance on how LEA’s may design systems, policies and procedures that reflect restorative practices rather than punitive, disciplinary actions.
• The Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL)’s SEL Framework offers a number of tools to support socal emotional learning (SEL), including a reflection protocol and framework for knowledge, skills and attitudes.
• NJDOE’s Social and Emotional Learning webpage provides schools with guidelines for integrating SEL across grades and subject areas.

How can educators improve each student’s access to grade-level standards through the accelerated learning process?

• The Amistad Commission, the Holocaust Commission, the Italian-American Heritage Commission and the Latino & Hispanic Heritage Commission provide useful resources and programs.
• NJDOE Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Educational Resources website provides information and tools for districts to integrate culturally responsive practices and infuse diversity and inclusion throughout the K–12 curricula.
• WestEd’s Justice and Prevention Research Center’s Restorative Justice in US Schools: An Updated Research Review offers guidance on how LEA’s may design systems, policies and procedures that reflect restorative practices rather than punitive, disciplinary actions.

How can accelerated learning experiences be designed to increase both access to and depth of understanding of grade-level standards?

• The New Jersey Department of Education’s Instructional Units for English Language Arts and Mathematics are based on the New Jersey Student Learning Standards offer a framework to build interdisciplinary units through collaboration across content areas.
• New Jersey Student Learning Standards serve as the foundation for local district curricula and are the starting point for learning acceleration efforts.
• Open SciEd offers high-quality, standards-aligned, locally adaptable materials that support equitable science learning.
• NJDOE developed the Prerequisite Concepts and Skills for English Language Arts and Mathematics in collaboration with New Jersey educators to assist LEAs in determining the type of individualized instruction and supports that might be needed to meet students where they are at the start of a English language arts or mathematics instructional unit.
• NJDOE provides Summer Learning Guidance to support LEAs in their summer planning to address disruptions in student learning and ensure all students receive the resources they need to succeed.

How can the strategic selection of prerequisite concepts and skills accelerate grade-level learning when coupled with formative practice by educators?

• The NJDOE’s Instructional Units for English Language Arts and Mathematics, based on the New Jersey Student Learning Standards, offer a framework to build interdisciplinary units.
• New Jersey Student Learning Standards serve as the foundation for local district curricula and are the starting point for learning acceleration efforts.
• NJDOE crafted the Prerequisite Concepts and Skills for English Language Arts and Mathematics to assist LEAs in determining the type of individualized instruction and supports that might be needed to meet students where they are at the start of a English language arts or mathematics instructional unit.
• Student Achievement Partners’ Priority Instructional Content in English Language Arts/Literacy and Mathematics provides guidance on content priorities by leveraging the structure and emphases of mathematics and ELA standards.