New Jersey’s 2009 Core Curriculum Content Standards address two critical education priorities:

1.    Alignment with the knowledge and skills needed by all students for post-secondary opportunities.

2.    A framework for teaching and learning that responds to the needs of 21st-century digital learners by incorporating the 'new literacies' required in an innovation economy: the ability to effectively access, evaluate, and synthesize vast amounts of information; to apply knowledge and skills to personal, workplace, and global challenges; to work collaboratively in cross-cultural settings; to solve problems creatively; and to act ethically as citizens of the world community.

These 21st-century student outcomes require a deeper understanding of academic content at much higher levels than ever before. The revised standards facilitate this in-depth learning in all content areas through the systematic and transparent integration of 21st-century knowledge, skills, and themes; global perspectives; cross content connections; and technology.  (NJ DOE)