“We have barely half of our third-grade students reading proficiently, and many schools in our [New Jersey] have single-digit proficiency. The statistical evidence is that most of those children will never catch up, and we have to disrupt that trajectory.”

That is Paula White, Executive Director of JerseyCAN, testifying to the New Jersey Assembly Education Committee on the importance of creating standards for out-of-school-time programs, i.e., afterschool childcare, clubs, and summer school. She testified in favor of Assembly Bill 2414 that would establish the “New Jersey Out-of-School Time Advisory Commission” which, if passed by the Assembly and Senate and signed by Gov. Phil Murphy, would assess all before-school, after-school, and summer school programs, adopt statewide standards, create assessments, examine funding, and make recommendations to improve accountability and quality.

In her testimony, White urges the Legislature to tweak the bill so that out-of-school time programs “have an academic component” and “there is a provision requiring instructional coherence between in-school and out-of-school instruction, primarily as it relates to literacy.”  

Other states have led the way in mandating that out-of-school programs contain academic support. In Mississippi, for instance, which has seen rapid increases in literacy and math proficiency despite a generally impoverished enrollment, these programs offer homework help, STEM education, literacy tutoring, and social-skills content. 

Here is White’s testimony to the Assembly: 

“Thank you for the opportunity to testify today. I am Paula White, the Executive Director of JerseyCAN,  an education policy and advocacy organization founded in 2013.  JerseyCAN is committed to ensuring that all students across the State have access to a high quality education regardless of any of their demographic markers.

“To that end, we are here today to testify in support of A2414, sponsored by Assembly Members Quijano and Sumter, with a respectful request to augment the bill to ensure that where out-of-school time programs have an academic component, there is a provision requiring instructional coherence between in-school and out-of-school instruction, primarily as it relates to literacy.   

“We are grateful for this important bill which elevates the relevance and importance of out-of-school time programs for our K-12 students across the state. We are all well aware of the challenges of balancing the parental obligations of work and caregiving for our children. Such challenges render out-of-school time programs an indispensable provision for thousands of families across the state who are not able to be with their children throughout each day in the summertime or after each regular school day ends. These programs also have a clear value proposition beyond logistical necessity: they provide various creative, emotional and athletic outlets for our children and, in some cases, reinforce and support students’ academics. All of these benefits are worthwhile for our children’s holistic development and any attempt to make these programs more cohesive and feasible is worthy of our support.

“As Bill A2414 pertains to the reinforcement of students’ academics, we know it is crucial to carve out a requirement of “curricular coherence” for our out-of-school time programs. 

“Revised ELA standards and recently-passed literacy legislation make evidence-based reading instruction obligatory in our schools, to advance to the greatest extent possible, the reading proficiency of all of the children in the state. What has become clear from all of the bright spots in the country where literacy advancement is being achieved is that literacy improvement is really the textbook definition of a group project, and that group includes families, educators, students, and also, out-of-school time programs. One of the proposed accountabilities of the Commission is to “Adopt appropriate Statewide standards for out-of-school time program design, implementation and assessment”. This is a laudable accountability, which if executed well, will begin to ensure that there is greater equity of opportunity for all students across the state regardless of where their out-of-school program occurs. 

“With literacy, we know that our educators work extremely hard each day to meet their students’ needs. What we have learned over decades and through the proof points of learning acceleration in some of the poorest states in America – Kentucky, Louisiana, and Mississippi to name a few –  is that it’s not just hard work that makes the difference but the right work, and educators in the classroom need the collaborative support of out-of-school time program providers to ensure the right work is being done to support our students learning.

“To that end, we respectfully request that part of the Advisory Commission’s directive is to establish standards for curricular coherence such that literacy standards required in school will be mirrored in any literacy-based academic content in out-of-school time programs. When out-of-school time programs have an academic component and choose their own curricular supports without consideration of state standards and legislative  mandates, or when they take an eclectic approach to academic content, students suffer. 

“Bill A2414 and the Commission report that results from it should contribute to addressing the condition of literacy in our state because  barely half of our 3rd grade students are reading proficiently, and many schools across our state have single digit proficiency in 3rd grade reading, meaning that in many schools less than 10% of their third graders are reading proficiently. The statistical evidence tells us that most of these children will never catch up. As such, we must disrupt that trajectory and exhaust all possible efforts to plug the holes and the gaps in their education. Making sure that the same evidence-based reading practices used during the school day make their way to out-of-school time programs would be a major step in this regard. Kindly consider explicitly making this a requirement and a responsibility of the Advisory Commission.”