Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan and Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest were recently recognized as Future Ready Schools – Silver Certified at the New Jersey School Boards Convention in October, the only Bergen County high schools to be so honored.

We exist in an information age, powered by new technology connecting people, ideas, data, and content in rapidly-changing ways. As we work to prepare New Jersey’s students for this world, we must ensure our schools provide them with the technology-rich environments they need in order to be engaged and successful members of a digital society and workforce.

To achieve this, New Jersey’s schools need to establish a culture of digital innovation, where educators are empowered to deepen and extend student learning through the use of technology, digital content, and media That is why Future Ready Schools – New Jersey (FRS-NJ) was established.

Future Ready Schools – New Jersey is a certification program designed to promote transformational change in schools and districts throughout New Jersey. Whether they are public, private, or charter, FRS-NJ provides the guidance, support, direction, and resources schools need to achieve “Future Ready” goals, while fostering inclusive collaboration within schools and districts, and between them throughout the state.

The program is a coalition of the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE), the New Jersey School Boards Association (NJSBA) and New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT). It is based on the work of the national Future Ready Schools initiative, and the structure and success of the Sustainable Jersey for Schools Certification Program.

The national Future Ready Framework, developed by the Alliance for Excellent Education, serves as an organizational umbrella for all discussions and decisions related to the use of technology in the classroom and the technical, professional, and leadership support needed to ensure the most effective and efficient Future Ready practices.

The FRS-NJ certification program started with the foundation of the Future Ready Framework, and “New Jersey-ized” it so the state’s districts, schools, educators, and leaders have a local support structure and framework .

The state model of the national framework has been created by FRS-NJ task forces, made up of hundreds of educators, leaders, and stakeholders, who dedicate their time and expertise to create the New Jersey Indicators of Future Readiness. These indicators help guide schools and districts towards future readiness by providing them with the knowledge of what successful Future Ready practices look like in a given “gear,” or section, of the national framework. At the same time, they provide guidance, support, and connections to resources that can help them achieve success.

The FRS-NJ Indicators of Future Readiness are the heart and soul of the FRS-NJ certification program. Organized at all levels into three overarching themes: Leadership; Education and Classroom Practice; and Technology Support and Services. These themes further condense the national Future Ready framework for the context of New Jersey.

Congratulations to Mr. David Janosz, Ms. Jennifer Cusmano, and Ms. Jennifer Cusmano, NVRHS District Supervisors of Technology, Science, and Mathematics respectively, Dr. Bruce Sabatini, NVOT Principal, Dr. Timothy Gouraige, NVD Principal, and Mr. James Santana, NVRHS District Superintendent.