First of all, be sure to read the Statistical Details section of the online documentation for an explanation of the parameterization of nominal and continuous predictors.
There are different parameterizations. They are all legitimate. They represent different ways of thinking about effects and testing parameter estimates. JMP uses effects coding. As such, the parameters represent the difference between the least squares mean for a given level and the overall mean. So an estimate of -3.5 means that the response is 3.5 units lower with this level than the mean response.