TRENTON – Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation Wednesday requiring K-12 instruction on information literacy in the NJ Student Learning Standards. The signing of the bipartisan legislation reaffirms the governor’s commitment to leading the nation in public education while preparing students for lifelong learning by equipping them with the skills they need to accurately assess information.
Senate Bill 588 requires the NJ Department of Education to develop information literacy standards to help students recognize when information is needed and to locate, evaluate, and effectively use the needed information. Information literacy includes, but is not limited to, digital, visual, media, textual, and technological literacy.
“Our democracy remains under sustained attack through the proliferation of disinformation that is eroding the role of truth in our political and civic discourse,” Murphy said in a release. “It is our responsibility to ensure our nation’s future leaders are equipped with the tools necessary to identify fact from fiction. I am proud to sign legislation that is critical to the success of New Jersey’s students and essential to the preservation of our democracy.”
Primary sponsors of the bill include Sens. Michael Testa and Shirley Turner, and Assembly Members Daniel Benson, Pamela Lampitt and Mila Jasey.
The bill requires the education commissioner to convene a committee, including certified school library media specialists and teaching staff members, to assist in developing the information literacy standards. The standards will be reviewed by experts as they are developed. This will provide an opportunity for collaboration among teachers and school library media specialists to advance information literacy in the K-12 learning standards. The proposed information literacy standards will also be subject to public input prior to their adoption by the NJ Board of Education.
“Information literacy is more important now than ever before, especially with the growing prevalence of social media and online news,” Acting Commissioner Angelica Allen-McMillan said.
School districts will incorporate instruction on information literacy in an appropriate place in the curriculumfor k-12 students. The guidelines will include, at a minimum:
- the research process and how information is created and produced;
- critical thinking and using information resources;
- research methods, including the difference between primary and secondary sources;
- the difference between facts, points of view, and opinions;
- accessing peer-reviewed print and digital library resources;
- the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information; and
- the ethical production of information.
“Teaching children about information literacy will help them to weigh the flood of news, opinion, and social media they are exposed to both online and off,” Testa said. “This law isn’t about teaching kids that any specific idea is true or false, rather it’s about helping them learn how to research, evaluate, and understand the information they are presented for themselves.”
“It is incredibly important that our children are taught how to discern reliable sources and recognize false information,” Turner said. “This legislation will equip the next generation with the tools they need to spot deceptive sites and become savvy consumers of media.”
“A primary role of our public schools is to prepare students to be informed, engaged participants in our American democracy,” NJEA President Sean M. Spiller said. “At a time when misinformation and disinformation are eroding the foundations of that democracy, it is imperative that students have the tools they need to determine what information they can trust. This law will help ensure that New Jersey students are equipped to separate fact from fiction as they prepare for their role as citizens and future leaders.”
