WHEREAS, current
data clearly indicates that many children throughout the State of New
Jersey, from the suburbs to the cities, are not successfully reaching
acceptable literacy levels by the end of third grade; and
WHEREAS, research
clearly indicates that children who fail to reach literacy levels by the
end of third grade will have greater difficulty learning in the years
that follow and that few of them will ever reach their full potential
as a result; and
WHEREAS, the State
of New Jersey has a compelling interest to take the necessary steps to
ensure that every third grader in New Jersey can read at or above grade
level; and
WHEREAS, although
the State of New Jersey adopted Language Arts core curriculum content
standards in 1996, the state failed to include any literacy standards
prior to grade four; and
WHEREAS, teachers
and parents throughout this State need guidance as to the expectations
for early literacy so that such expectations can be achieved; and
WHEREAS, the State
of New Jersey has a compelling interest to provide such expectations through
a series of early literacy frameworks and standards for teachers of preschool,
kindergarten and first grade children and literacy standards for second
and third grade students; and
WHEREAS, the State
of New Jersey recognizes that literacy efforts must include a broad base
of support particularly from parents and the community; and
WHEREAS, the State
of New Jersey has a compelling interest to engage the talent and expertise
of literacy experts throughout the state to help achieve these goals;
and
WHEREAS, the federal
government, under the recently enacted Elementary and Secondary Education
Act, requires states to address the issue of early literacy; and
WHEREAS, the State
of New Jersey has a compelling interest to begin work immediately on achieving
the federal standards for literacy and to prepare its children for success
in the 21st century.
NOW, THEREFORE,
I, JAMES E. MCGREEVEY, Governor of the State of New Jersey, by virtue
of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and by the Statutes
of this State, do hereby ORDER and DIRECT:
-
The Commissioner
of Education shall develop:
-
Frameworks,
activities, good practices, and literacy standards for teachers
of preschool, kindergarten, and grade 1 by September 1, 2002.
-
Literacy
standards for students in grades 2, 3, and 4 by September 1, 2002.
-
Insure that
schools establish literacy goals and include them in their annual
reports to the State Department of Education.
-
The Commissioner
of Education shall form an Early Literacy Task Force to be led by
Dr. Dorothy Strickland of the Graduate School of Education, Rutgers
University, and Robert Copeland, Superintendent of the Piscataway
School District.
-
The Early Literacy
Task Force shall be charged with the following:
-
Identify
research-based programs, practices, methods and approaches that
can be incorporated into a statewide plan to improve early literacy
by June 30, 2002.
-
Recommend
ways to improve teacher professional development in the teaching
of reading including implementation of reading coaches in elementary
schools by June 30, 2002.
-
The Governor's
Conference on Literacy shall be held on May 3, 2002, at which time
representatives from every school district in the State will be invited
to learn about the State's plans to improve early literacy, as well
as the federal government requirements related to these efforts.
-
Dr. Dorothy
Strickland shall work with the New Jersey Department of Education
to facilitate efforts to meet the literacy requirements delineated
in the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
-
This Order shall
take effect immediately.
GIVEN, under
my hand and seal this 25th
day of February In the Year of our Lord
Two Thousand and Two, and the
Independence of the United States,
the Two Hundred and Twenty-Sixth.
/s/ James E. McGreevey
Governor
[seal}
Attest:
/s/ Paul A. Levinsohn
Chief Counsel