We Raise New Jersey, an organization committed to help parents raise student achievement (and counter some of the distortions promulgated by anti-testing lobbyists) just announced that two new members have joined the coalition: The Garden State Coalition of Schools (an association of about 100 school districts) and the N.J. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, a group that supports N.J.’s students, teachers, and administrators.

Other members of the coalition include New Jersey PTA, N.J. Association of School Administrators, N.J. Council of County Colleges, N.J. Chamber of Commerce, JerseyCan, N.J. Principals and Supervisors Association, and N.J. School Boards Association.

From the press release:

“We want to create a real dialogue across the state about the role standardized testing should play in our schools,” said Debbie Tyrrell, president of the New Jersey PTA. “Schools and parents should talk about the ways they are helping children transition to the new assessments.”  

“New Jersey is a national leader in education,” said David C. Hespe, New Jersey’s Commissioner of Education. “I commend the education and community leaders of the coalition for reinforcing our commitment to providing students with the best possible education using the best available resources.” 

Earlier this week, We Raise NJ launched Best Foot Forward to address the growing number of questions from parents about the PARCC assessments and to help parents make informed decisions about how to best support their children during testing season.  In addition to the resources on the website, the initiative features weekly text messages, a blog and a brief video, which provide parents important information during testing season.

Here’s additional coverage from NJ Spotlight.