New Jersey Center for Teaching and Learning’s Progressive Science Initiative and Progressive Mathematics Initiative

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My students love PSI.  It challenges them and is appropriately scaffolded to their level. PSI is constructive in that it goes to the theory that ALL students can learn higher order subjects. Plus, it is easier for the teacher in that I don't have to be a total content expert to successfully teach it.  - Art Scott, Chemistry Teacher, Germantown High School, Germantown, TN

Program Type

Curriculum/Instructional Materials
Teacher Development/Training
College Readiness

Target Audience

All Students

Females

Black/African American

Hispanic/Latino

Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

English Language Learner

Low Socio-Economic Status

Teachers/Educational Leaders

Location

Nationwide

Grades

Pre-K - 5
Grades 6 - 8
Grades 9 - 12

Program Impact

The New Jersey Center for Teaching and Learning (NJCTL) started in one school in New Jersey, and has successfully replicated its program model and now works with students, parents, teachers and administrators throughout the United States and around the world. Since launching in 2007:

●      NJCTL has become the #1 producer of U.S. physics teachers and a growing producer of chemistry, mathematics and computer science teachers.

●      NJCTL’s free, editable materials are used in New Jersey, across the United States, and in 186 countries.  In 2019, more than 613,000 files were downloaded by 252,000 unique visitors to www.njctl.org. These materials are continuously improved and updated and consist of more than 270,000 SMART Notebook slides and 13,000 Word documents.

●      NJCTL has helped 381 teachers add a new endorsement over the last ten years, including 280 physics teachers, 87 chemistry teachers, 10 K-12 math teachers and 4 middle school math teachers.

●      Over 92% of teachers in NJCTL endorsement programs have passed the Praxis.

●      95% of teachers completing an NJCTL online course or program reported that they would recommend it to another teacher.

●      Since NJCTL started producing physics teachers, NJ

●      Bergen County Technical High School – the school where PSI/PMI was initially developed -- is ranked the #1 STEM high school in New Jersey and #13 out of over 14,000 high schools nationwide, while earning Newsweek’s distinction of “Overcoming the Odds” due to its share of underrepresented minorities and students in poverty.

 

Program Overview

The New Jersey Center for Teaching and Learning (NJCTL) is an independent, nonprofit charitable organization founded in 2007 by the New Jersey Education Association with the mission of empowering communities of educators and families to lead school improvement so that all children have access to a high-quality education. In 2020, NJCTL was licensed and duly authorized as a New Jersey Institution of Higher Education.

Our flagship programs, the Progressive Science Initiative® (PSI®) and the Progressive Mathematics Initiative® (PMI®) utilize a scalable model that effectively integrates teacher training, free comprehensive course materials, and online, asynchronous courses for teachers and students.
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NJCTL directly addresses some of the most significant educational challenges by offering high-quality course content and pedagogy that transitions seamlessly between classroom and remote settings.  It is the #1 producer of new physics teachers and a rapidly growing producer of chemistry, mathematics, and computer science teachers.  It is also the leading producer and provider of free, editable K-14 STEM materials.

PSI/PMI are aligned with Common Core State Standards (CCSS) mathematics, Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and College Board Advanced Placement mathematics and science. They are designed to be effective for all students, regardless of their academic background.

PSI/PMI includes all the materials a teacher needs to teach a challenging STEM course including: course curricula; classwork and homework assignments; laboratory assignments; formative assessment questions; and summative assessments.

NJCTL directly addresses the STEM teacher shortage by using its PSI/PMI curricula and pedagogy as the foundation of its endorsement/subject certification programs and standalone courses.  They  provide current teachers of overstaffed subject areas, with the content knowledge and training they need to transfer their teaching skills to much-needed STEM subjects. Filling staffing vacancies in key STEM domains provides more students equitable access to those subject areas. This is crucial preparation for students who wish to pursue STEM career paths.

How To Get Involved

NJCTL offers many opportunities geared specifically for:

●      Students

●      Parents

●      Teachers

●      Administrators

We welcome support from corporations, foundations, and other institutions, and would like to work with you to benefit your schools and communities.

We also provide states and school districts with customized solutions to meet their educational initiatives. 

We operate efficiently and keep our costs low, so your contributions and funding will have maximum impact.

Help Students Emerge Strong from the Pandemic

  • Support face-to-face and online summer school.
  • Enroll students in online courses.
  • Provide students access to self-taught courses.

Solve the STEM Teacher Shortage

  • Create new STEM teachers.
  • Train current STEM teachers to improve their effectiveness.
  • Train current STEM teachers to teach additional STEM disciplines.

Provide All Students Access to AP Courses

  • Train teachers to teach AP Courses.
  • Provide “flipped classroom” online support to teachers.
  • Directly teach students in schools which lack an AP course.

Support School Districts

  • Provide comprehensive, customized support.
  • Provide high quality teacher training.
  • Provide online course materials and ongoing mentoring.

NJCTL is an organization founded by teachers for teachers and we look forward to hearing from you!

Funders and Partners

New Jersey Education Association

Adams State University

Trenton Public School District

Egg Harbor City Public Schools

Wood-Ridge Public Schools

Lesotho Ministry of Education

Malawi Ministry of Education

The Ministry of Secondary and Basic Education - The Gambia

Contacts

Robert Goodman, Ed.D.

Executive Director

info@njctl.org

609-310-1285

https://njctl.org/

Design Principles

The programs in this database clear a high bar. STEMworks reviewed each program against the Design Principles for Effective STEM Philanthropy.

  • Accomplished
  • Developing
  • Undeveloped

Overarching Principles

  • Need

    Identify and target a compelling and well-defined need.

  • Evaluation

    Use rigorous evaluation to continuously measure and inform progress towards the compelling need identified.

  • Sustainability

    Ensure work is sustainable.

  • Replication and Scalability

    Demonstrate replicability and scalability.

  • Partnerships

    Create high impact partnerships

  • Capacity

    Ensure organizational capacity to achieve goals.

STEM Principles

  • Challenging and Relevant Content

    Offer challenging and relevant STEM content for the target audience

  • STEM Practices

    Incorporate and encourage STEM practices.

  • Inspiration

    Inspire interest and engagement in STEM.

  • Under-Represented Groups

    Identify and address the needs of under-represented groups.