Tuesday, September 27, 2011
The Opportunity Gap: Is New Jersey Providing Equal Access to Education?
The Opportunity Gap: Is New Jersey Providing Equal Access to Education?
ProPublica analyzed federal education data from the 2009-2010 school year to examine whether states provide high-poverty schools equal access to advanced courses and special programs that researchers say will help them later in life. This is the first nationwide picture of exactly which courses are being taken at which schools and districts across the country. More than three-quarters of all public school children are represented. Read our story and our methodology.
Monday, March 8, 2010
New Jersey Department of Education Releases 2009 School Report Cards
The New Jersey Department of Education today released the 2009 School Report Cards for all regular public schools and charter schools in the state. The report cards are public accountability documents that are intended to enable members of the public to measure the yearly progress of their local schools.
The annual reports contain detailed statistical profiles of every school in the areas of school environment, student information, student performance indicators, staff information and district and charter financial information.
Established by legislation in 1995, the report cards are produced for all elementary and secondary schools, as well as vocational schools, special education schools, charter schools, and special services school districts.
The school report card is accessible on the DOE Web site at http://education.state.nj.us/rc/
In addition to being a resource for community members to check the progress of their schools, the report card contains state-level information that is helpful in providing an overview of education in New Jersey.
The report cards released today are the 15th to be produced under the 1995 state law that specifies much of the information to be reported and requires its annual distribution. They also represent the 19th time New Jersey has issued a report on its public schools, since the first report cards were distributed in 1989.
Some items of note in the 2009 report card:
* The major addition to the report card in 2009 was mandated by the US Department of Education. States were required to report 2007 state and national results in reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) for grades four and eight and the 2009 NAEP math results for grades four and eight. For comparative purposes, the NAEP results are in the same section of the report card as the fourth and eighth grade NJ ASK state totals for grades four and eight. Information about New Jersey’s performance on NAEP can be found at http://www.nj.gov/education/assessment/naep/
* The criterion for the student/computer ratio changed this year. Formerly, districts could report any computer in the building that was still being used for some instructional purpose. This year’s count was to include only instructional, multimedia-capable computers that have manufacture dates after July1, 2005 and that are available for supervised instruction. Very old computers are limited in their ability to prepare students to use 21st century tools.
* State assessment for grades 3-4 show only one year of results because they are new tests. The changes to the tests for grades three and four complete the realignment of the state tests with the updated academic standards. In the second year of the new tests for grades 5-8 that were administered for the first time in 2008, overall the test results showed improvement across the board. The biggest gains in language arts were in grade 5 from 60.1% proficient in 2007-08 to 66.2% in 2008-09 and grade 6 with 57.4% proficient in 2007-08 to 70.1% proficient in 2008-09. The biggest gain in math was in grade 8 from 67.7% proficient in 2007-08 to 71.8% in 2008-09.
* Graduates via SRA (the alternate proficiency assessment for the HSPA) declined slightly for a third year, from 11.2% in 2006-07 to 11.0% in 2007-08 to 10.9% in 2008-09.
* Students identified as limited English proficient (LEP) showed a dip in 2007-08 but are back at 2006-07 levels for 2008-09.
2006-07 54,258 LEP students or 3.9%
2007-08 51,824 or 3.7%
2008-09 54,282 or 3.9%.
* The faculty mobility rate has dropped from 6.2% in 2006-07 to 5.7% in 2007-08 and 4% in 2008-09.
* The student expulsions have fallen from 78 in 2005-06 to 76 in 2006-07 to 66 in 2007-08 and to 35 in 2008-09.
* The top six languages spoken at home have some percentage changes in the top six:
2007-08 2008-09
English 77.6% 78.2%
Spanish 10.8% 10.0%
Korean .6% .4%
Portuguese .5% .2%
Mandarin .4% .1%
Arabic .5% replaced by Polish at .1%
* The intended post graduate plans for students has shown a slight drop in the four-year college category and in the employment category:
2007-08 2008-09
4-yr. college 54.0% 52.6%
2-yr. college 31.0% 31.5%
Oth. post secondary 3.3% 4.7%
Military 1.4% .4%
Apprenticeship .2% .2%
Employment 6.3% 5.8%
The annual reports contain detailed statistical profiles of every school in the areas of school environment, student information, student performance indicators, staff information and district and charter financial information.
Established by legislation in 1995, the report cards are produced for all elementary and secondary schools, as well as vocational schools, special education schools, charter schools, and special services school districts.
The school report card is accessible on the DOE Web site at http://education.state.nj.us/rc/
In addition to being a resource for community members to check the progress of their schools, the report card contains state-level information that is helpful in providing an overview of education in New Jersey.
The report cards released today are the 15th to be produced under the 1995 state law that specifies much of the information to be reported and requires its annual distribution. They also represent the 19th time New Jersey has issued a report on its public schools, since the first report cards were distributed in 1989.
Some items of note in the 2009 report card:
* The major addition to the report card in 2009 was mandated by the US Department of Education. States were required to report 2007 state and national results in reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) for grades four and eight and the 2009 NAEP math results for grades four and eight. For comparative purposes, the NAEP results are in the same section of the report card as the fourth and eighth grade NJ ASK state totals for grades four and eight. Information about New Jersey’s performance on NAEP can be found at http://www.nj.gov/education/assessment/naep/
* The criterion for the student/computer ratio changed this year. Formerly, districts could report any computer in the building that was still being used for some instructional purpose. This year’s count was to include only instructional, multimedia-capable computers that have manufacture dates after July1, 2005 and that are available for supervised instruction. Very old computers are limited in their ability to prepare students to use 21st century tools.
* State assessment for grades 3-4 show only one year of results because they are new tests. The changes to the tests for grades three and four complete the realignment of the state tests with the updated academic standards. In the second year of the new tests for grades 5-8 that were administered for the first time in 2008, overall the test results showed improvement across the board. The biggest gains in language arts were in grade 5 from 60.1% proficient in 2007-08 to 66.2% in 2008-09 and grade 6 with 57.4% proficient in 2007-08 to 70.1% proficient in 2008-09. The biggest gain in math was in grade 8 from 67.7% proficient in 2007-08 to 71.8% in 2008-09.
* Graduates via SRA (the alternate proficiency assessment for the HSPA) declined slightly for a third year, from 11.2% in 2006-07 to 11.0% in 2007-08 to 10.9% in 2008-09.
* Students identified as limited English proficient (LEP) showed a dip in 2007-08 but are back at 2006-07 levels for 2008-09.
2006-07 54,258 LEP students or 3.9%
2007-08 51,824 or 3.7%
2008-09 54,282 or 3.9%.
* The faculty mobility rate has dropped from 6.2% in 2006-07 to 5.7% in 2007-08 and 4% in 2008-09.
* The student expulsions have fallen from 78 in 2005-06 to 76 in 2006-07 to 66 in 2007-08 and to 35 in 2008-09.
* The top six languages spoken at home have some percentage changes in the top six:
2007-08 2008-09
English 77.6% 78.2%
Spanish 10.8% 10.0%
Korean .6% .4%
Portuguese .5% .2%
Mandarin .4% .1%
Arabic .5% replaced by Polish at .1%
* The intended post graduate plans for students has shown a slight drop in the four-year college category and in the employment category:
2007-08 2008-09
4-yr. college 54.0% 52.6%
2-yr. college 31.0% 31.5%
Oth. post secondary 3.3% 4.7%
Military 1.4% .4%
Apprenticeship .2% .2%
Employment 6.3% 5.8%
Friday, February 12, 2010
REPORT GIVES NEW JERSEY A GRADE OF 'D+' FOR POLICIES THAT IMPACT QUALITY OF TEACHERS
A new report by the not-for-profit, non-partisan National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) finds that New Jersey's teacher policies largely work against the nation's goal of improving teacher quality. While the national focus on teacher quality has never been greater, the broad range of state laws, rules and regulations that govern the teaching profession too often impede rather than promote serious reform.
NCTQ's 2009 State Teacher Policy Yearbook examined state policy across five areas that include teacher preparation, evaluation, tenure and dismissal, alternative certification and compensation. New Jersey earned the following grades, resulting in an overall grade of D+:
• Delivering Well Prepared Teachers: D
• Expanding the Teaching Pool: B-
• Identifying Effective New Teachers: D+
• Retaining Effective New Teachers: C-
• Exiting Ineffective New Teachers: D+
NCTQ President Kate Walsh said, "The release of the 2009 Yearbook comes at a particularly opportune time. Race to the Top, the $4.5 billion federal discretionary grant competition, has put unprecedented focus on education reform in general, and teacher quality in particular. We believe that the Yearbook provides a road map for achieving a Race to the Top grant, identifying where states are on the right track and where they have considerable work to do.
Walsh continued: “Unfortunately, states have tremendous ground to make up after years of policy neglect. There is much more New Jersey can do to ensure that all children have the effective teachers they deserve."
Among the findings about New Jersey:
• New Jersey's tenure policies do not consider what should count the most about teacher performance: classroom effectiveness. It does not require that districts collect or consider any evidence of teacher effectiveness as part of tenure decisions.
• New Jersey makes it too difficult for districts to attempt to dismiss poor performers by failing to articulate a policy for dismissing teachers for poor performance separate from dismissal policies for criminal and morality violations. It appears that New Jersey also allows multiple appeals of dismissals.
• New Jersey's requirements for the preparation of elementary teachers do not ensure these teachers are well prepared to teach reading or mathematics.
• New Jersey sets low expectations for what special education teachers should know, despite state and federal expectations that special education students should meet the same high standards as other students.
• New Jersey fails to exercise appropriate oversight of its teacher preparation programs. The state allows programs to admit candidates without passing a basic skills test. It also could do more to hold programs accountable for the quality of the teachers they produce.
• New Jersey's pay and benefit policies for teachers—including the state-run retirement system—offer inadequate incentives to stay in teaching. The financial sustainability of the retirement system is also uncertain, based on the state's own report.
Despite these findings, New Jersey has some bright spots, including a streamlined alternate route to certification that meets the immediate needs of new teachers.
NCTQ's 2009 State Teacher Policy Yearbook examined state policy across five areas that include teacher preparation, evaluation, tenure and dismissal, alternative certification and compensation. New Jersey earned the following grades, resulting in an overall grade of D+:
• Delivering Well Prepared Teachers: D
• Expanding the Teaching Pool: B-
• Identifying Effective New Teachers: D+
• Retaining Effective New Teachers: C-
• Exiting Ineffective New Teachers: D+
NCTQ President Kate Walsh said, "The release of the 2009 Yearbook comes at a particularly opportune time. Race to the Top, the $4.5 billion federal discretionary grant competition, has put unprecedented focus on education reform in general, and teacher quality in particular. We believe that the Yearbook provides a road map for achieving a Race to the Top grant, identifying where states are on the right track and where they have considerable work to do.
Walsh continued: “Unfortunately, states have tremendous ground to make up after years of policy neglect. There is much more New Jersey can do to ensure that all children have the effective teachers they deserve."
Among the findings about New Jersey:
• New Jersey's tenure policies do not consider what should count the most about teacher performance: classroom effectiveness. It does not require that districts collect or consider any evidence of teacher effectiveness as part of tenure decisions.
• New Jersey makes it too difficult for districts to attempt to dismiss poor performers by failing to articulate a policy for dismissing teachers for poor performance separate from dismissal policies for criminal and morality violations. It appears that New Jersey also allows multiple appeals of dismissals.
• New Jersey's requirements for the preparation of elementary teachers do not ensure these teachers are well prepared to teach reading or mathematics.
• New Jersey sets low expectations for what special education teachers should know, despite state and federal expectations that special education students should meet the same high standards as other students.
• New Jersey fails to exercise appropriate oversight of its teacher preparation programs. The state allows programs to admit candidates without passing a basic skills test. It also could do more to hold programs accountable for the quality of the teachers they produce.
• New Jersey's pay and benefit policies for teachers—including the state-run retirement system—offer inadequate incentives to stay in teaching. The financial sustainability of the retirement system is also uncertain, based on the state's own report.
Despite these findings, New Jersey has some bright spots, including a streamlined alternate route to certification that meets the immediate needs of new teachers.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
New Jersey Department of Education Releases 2009 School Report Cards
The New Jersey Department of Education today released the 2009 School Report Cards for all regular public schools and charter schools in the state. The report cards are public accountability documents that are intended to enable members of the public to measure the yearly progress of their local schools.
The annual reports contain detailed statistical profiles of every school in the areas of school environment, student information, student performance indicators, staff information and district and charter financial information.
Established by legislation in 1995, the report cards are produced for all elementary and secondary schools, as well as vocational schools, special education schools, charter schools, and special services school districts.
The school report card is accessible on the DOE Web site at http://education.state.nj.us/rc/
In addition to being a resource for community members to check the progress of their schools, the report card contains state-level information that is helpful in providing an overview of education in New Jersey.
The report cards released today are the 15th to be produced under the 1995 state law that specifies much of the information to be reported and requires its annual distribution. They also represent the 19th time New Jersey has issued a report on its public schools, since the first report cards were distributed in 1989.
Some items of note in the 2009 report card:
* The major addition to the report card in 2009 was mandated by the US Department of Education. States were required to report 2007 state and national results in reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) for grades four and eight and the 2009 NAEP math results for grades four and eight. For comparative purposes, the NAEP results are in the same section of the report card as the fourth and eighth grade NJ ASK state totals for grades four and eight. Information about New Jersey’s performance on NAEP can be found at http://www.nj.gov/education/assessment/naep/
* The criterion for the student/computer ratio changed this year. Formerly, districts could report any computer in the building that was still being used for some instructional purpose. This year’s count was to include only instructional, multimedia-capable computers that have manufacture dates after July1, 2005 and that are available for supervised instruction. Very old computers are limited in their ability to prepare students to use 21st century tools.
* State assessment for grades 3-4 show only one year of results because they are new tests. The changes to the tests for grades three and four complete the realignment of the state tests with the updated academic standards. In the second year of the new tests for grades 5-8 that were administered for the first time in 2008, overall the test results showed improvement across the board. The biggest gains in language arts were in grade 5 from 60.1% proficient in 2007-08 to 66.2% in 2008-09 and grade 6 with 57.4% proficient in 2007-08 to 70.1% proficient in 2008-09. The biggest gain in math was in grade 8 from 67.7% proficient in 2007-08 to 71.8% in 2008-09.
* Graduates via SRA (the alternate proficiency assessment for the HSPA) declined slightly for a third year, from 11.2% in 2006-07 to 11.0% in 2007-08 to 10.9% in 2008-09.
* Students identified as limited English proficient (LEP) showed a dip in 2007-08 but are back at 2006-07 levels for 2008-09.
2006-07 54,258 LEP students or 3.9%
2007-08 51,824 or 3.7%
2008-09 54,282 or 3.9%.
* The faculty mobility rate has dropped from 6.2% in 2006-07 to 5.7% in 2007-08 and 4% in 2008-09.
* The student expulsions have fallen from 78 in 2005-06 to 76 in 2006-07 to 66 in 2007-08 and to 35 in 2008-09.
* The top six languages spoken at home have some percentage changes in the top six:
2007-08 2008-09
English 77.6% 78.2%
Spanish 10.8% 10.0%
Korean .6% .4%
Portuguese .5% .2%
Mandarin .4% .1%
Arabic .5% replaced by Polish at .1%
* The intended post graduate plans for students has shown a slight drop in the four-year college category and in the employment category:
2007-08 2008-09
4-yr. college 54.0% 52.6%
2-yr. college 31.0% 31.5%
Oth. post secondary 3.3% 4.7%
Military 1.4% .4%
Apprenticeship .2% .2%
Employment 6.3% 5.8%
The annual reports contain detailed statistical profiles of every school in the areas of school environment, student information, student performance indicators, staff information and district and charter financial information.
Established by legislation in 1995, the report cards are produced for all elementary and secondary schools, as well as vocational schools, special education schools, charter schools, and special services school districts.
The school report card is accessible on the DOE Web site at http://education.state.nj.us/rc/
In addition to being a resource for community members to check the progress of their schools, the report card contains state-level information that is helpful in providing an overview of education in New Jersey.
The report cards released today are the 15th to be produced under the 1995 state law that specifies much of the information to be reported and requires its annual distribution. They also represent the 19th time New Jersey has issued a report on its public schools, since the first report cards were distributed in 1989.
Some items of note in the 2009 report card:
* The major addition to the report card in 2009 was mandated by the US Department of Education. States were required to report 2007 state and national results in reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) for grades four and eight and the 2009 NAEP math results for grades four and eight. For comparative purposes, the NAEP results are in the same section of the report card as the fourth and eighth grade NJ ASK state totals for grades four and eight. Information about New Jersey’s performance on NAEP can be found at http://www.nj.gov/education/assessment/naep/
* The criterion for the student/computer ratio changed this year. Formerly, districts could report any computer in the building that was still being used for some instructional purpose. This year’s count was to include only instructional, multimedia-capable computers that have manufacture dates after July1, 2005 and that are available for supervised instruction. Very old computers are limited in their ability to prepare students to use 21st century tools.
* State assessment for grades 3-4 show only one year of results because they are new tests. The changes to the tests for grades three and four complete the realignment of the state tests with the updated academic standards. In the second year of the new tests for grades 5-8 that were administered for the first time in 2008, overall the test results showed improvement across the board. The biggest gains in language arts were in grade 5 from 60.1% proficient in 2007-08 to 66.2% in 2008-09 and grade 6 with 57.4% proficient in 2007-08 to 70.1% proficient in 2008-09. The biggest gain in math was in grade 8 from 67.7% proficient in 2007-08 to 71.8% in 2008-09.
* Graduates via SRA (the alternate proficiency assessment for the HSPA) declined slightly for a third year, from 11.2% in 2006-07 to 11.0% in 2007-08 to 10.9% in 2008-09.
* Students identified as limited English proficient (LEP) showed a dip in 2007-08 but are back at 2006-07 levels for 2008-09.
2006-07 54,258 LEP students or 3.9%
2007-08 51,824 or 3.7%
2008-09 54,282 or 3.9%.
* The faculty mobility rate has dropped from 6.2% in 2006-07 to 5.7% in 2007-08 and 4% in 2008-09.
* The student expulsions have fallen from 78 in 2005-06 to 76 in 2006-07 to 66 in 2007-08 and to 35 in 2008-09.
* The top six languages spoken at home have some percentage changes in the top six:
2007-08 2008-09
English 77.6% 78.2%
Spanish 10.8% 10.0%
Korean .6% .4%
Portuguese .5% .2%
Mandarin .4% .1%
Arabic .5% replaced by Polish at .1%
* The intended post graduate plans for students has shown a slight drop in the four-year college category and in the employment category:
2007-08 2008-09
4-yr. college 54.0% 52.6%
2-yr. college 31.0% 31.5%
Oth. post secondary 3.3% 4.7%
Military 1.4% .4%
Apprenticeship .2% .2%
Employment 6.3% 5.8%
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Achievement Gap: New Jersey’s Making Progress
New Ed Trust Report on Achievement Gap Highlights New Jersey’s Progress
Education Commissioner Lucille E. Davy today welcomed a new report by the Education Trust as further evidence that New Jersey is making strides in narrowing gaps in achievement on standardized tests without sacrificing progress of individual student groups.
The recently released four-pronged analysis, titled “Gauging the Gaps, A Deeper Look at Student Achievement,” recognizes New Jersey as one of the top states in closing the achievement gap between low-income or minority students and their peers. The Education Trust listed New Jersey as one of the top states in progress for all groups of students over time and for group performance compared across states.
“The Education Trust’s latest report confirms that New Jersey is closing the achievement gap while making gains among all groups of students. Likewise, our low-income and minority students are outperforming their peers in other states,” said Commissioner Davy. “This analysis shows that New Jersey is a leader in closing the achievement gap among students, but our job is not done until all children are equipped with the skills and knowledge they need to compete in the 21st century global marketplace.”
The new report examines reading and math test score data for fourth and eighth graders under the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) – the only standardized test that allows for direct comparison across states – from four perspectives: simple gap narrowing; progress for all student groups; gap size; and group comparisons across jurisdictions.
Eight states, including New Jersey, and the District of Columbia were recognized as top states for achieving progress for all student groups under NAEP’s reading and math scores for both grades four and eight. New Jersey was one of six top states for having low-income and minority students who perform substantially higher on all areas of NAEP than their peers in other states.
The Education Trust report examined the NAEP data through four perspectives “to gain a more sophisticated, comprehensive, and accurate picture” of the nation’s achievement gap.
Education Commissioner Lucille E. Davy today welcomed a new report by the Education Trust as further evidence that New Jersey is making strides in narrowing gaps in achievement on standardized tests without sacrificing progress of individual student groups.
The recently released four-pronged analysis, titled “Gauging the Gaps, A Deeper Look at Student Achievement,” recognizes New Jersey as one of the top states in closing the achievement gap between low-income or minority students and their peers. The Education Trust listed New Jersey as one of the top states in progress for all groups of students over time and for group performance compared across states.
“The Education Trust’s latest report confirms that New Jersey is closing the achievement gap while making gains among all groups of students. Likewise, our low-income and minority students are outperforming their peers in other states,” said Commissioner Davy. “This analysis shows that New Jersey is a leader in closing the achievement gap among students, but our job is not done until all children are equipped with the skills and knowledge they need to compete in the 21st century global marketplace.”
The new report examines reading and math test score data for fourth and eighth graders under the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) – the only standardized test that allows for direct comparison across states – from four perspectives: simple gap narrowing; progress for all student groups; gap size; and group comparisons across jurisdictions.
Eight states, including New Jersey, and the District of Columbia were recognized as top states for achieving progress for all student groups under NAEP’s reading and math scores for both grades four and eight. New Jersey was one of six top states for having low-income and minority students who perform substantially higher on all areas of NAEP than their peers in other states.
The Education Trust report examined the NAEP data through four perspectives “to gain a more sophisticated, comprehensive, and accurate picture” of the nation’s achievement gap.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Award Winning Schools for New Jersey
Joseph Jingoli & Son, Inc. has announced that three of the New Jersey schools the company built in 2009 were honored with 12 state, regional and national awards.
Schools the 90-year old company built in Trenton, Vineland and East Orange were recognized a dozen times in 2009:
TRENTON DAYLIGHT/TWILIGHT HIGH SCHOOL
- Building Design and Construction: 26th Annual Reconstruction Awards Bronze
- School Planning and Management: Council of Educational Facility Planners (CEFPI) Economic Impact Award
- International Masonry Institute: NJ Golden Trowel Awards - Special Recognition
- Real Estate and Construction and Review: Tri-State Building America Top 100
- Landmarks Commission for Historic Preservation - City of Trenton 2008 Historic Preservation Award
VINELAND DEMONSTRATION SCHOOL
- School Planning and Management: CEFPI - 2009 Impact on Learning - Economic Impact Award
- International Masonry Institute: NJ Golden Trowel Award: Best in Category, Elementary School
- Learning by Design / School Community Center / Joint use Facilities
- Real Estate and Construction Review - Tri-State Building America Top 100 - Building Design and Construction: Annual Building Team Awards - Special Recognition
EAST ORANGE CICELY TYSON COMMUNITY SCHOOL
- International Masonry Institute: NJ Golden Trowel Awards - Special Recognition
- NY Construction - Best of 2009 - Educational Facilities
The education facilities were designed as community crossroads where learning, recreation and community programming would foster economic development as a significant component.
Each school has a specific curriculum and focus - from fine arts and music to integrated technology focusing on workforce preparation and enhancement, well beyond traditional back-to-work programs.
To build such broad-based schools, each required a comprehensive, multi-faceted team to accomplish everything from site acquisition and property assembly to complete fit out of the new and adaptive reuse buildings with furniture, fixtures, equipment, and state of the art technologies - a total turnkey approach.
Schools the 90-year old company built in Trenton, Vineland and East Orange were recognized a dozen times in 2009:
TRENTON DAYLIGHT/TWILIGHT HIGH SCHOOL
- Building Design and Construction: 26th Annual Reconstruction Awards Bronze
- School Planning and Management: Council of Educational Facility Planners (CEFPI) Economic Impact Award
- International Masonry Institute: NJ Golden Trowel Awards - Special Recognition
- Real Estate and Construction and Review: Tri-State Building America Top 100
- Landmarks Commission for Historic Preservation - City of Trenton 2008 Historic Preservation Award
VINELAND DEMONSTRATION SCHOOL
- School Planning and Management: CEFPI - 2009 Impact on Learning - Economic Impact Award
- International Masonry Institute: NJ Golden Trowel Award: Best in Category, Elementary School
- Learning by Design / School Community Center / Joint use Facilities
- Real Estate and Construction Review - Tri-State Building America Top 100 - Building Design and Construction: Annual Building Team Awards - Special Recognition
EAST ORANGE CICELY TYSON COMMUNITY SCHOOL
- International Masonry Institute: NJ Golden Trowel Awards - Special Recognition
- NY Construction - Best of 2009 - Educational Facilities
The education facilities were designed as community crossroads where learning, recreation and community programming would foster economic development as a significant component.
Each school has a specific curriculum and focus - from fine arts and music to integrated technology focusing on workforce preparation and enhancement, well beyond traditional back-to-work programs.
To build such broad-based schools, each required a comprehensive, multi-faceted team to accomplish everything from site acquisition and property assembly to complete fit out of the new and adaptive reuse buildings with furniture, fixtures, equipment, and state of the art technologies - a total turnkey approach.
Monday, December 14, 2009
SAT Program at Two New Jersey High Schools
A-List Education (A-List) has launched SAT consulting and teacher training initiatives at Paramus High School (Paramus) and North Bergen High School (North Bergen) of New Jersey. The training programs equip the schools with the resources necessary to manage their own, in-house SAT preparation courses that can be offered free of charge to their students. This arrangement allows Paramus and North Bergen teachers, who have first-hand knowledge of students’ proficiencies, to build on their relationships with students and provide them with an SAT program that is fundamentally tailored to their needs.
In the past, A-List has run successful SAT courses using its own instructors at tri-state area high schools including Dumont High School in New Jersey. Here, A-List developed a strong, working relationship with the Dumont School District’s then superintendent, Dr. James Montesano. Looking to build on the success of the Dumont program, where many students’ SAT scores increased in excess of 150 points, Dr. Montesano welcomed A-List into Paramus, where he is currently superintendent of schools. This time Dr. Montesano asked A-List to work directly with teachers to create a customized SAT program implementing A-List’s materials and methodologies, enabling teachers to utilize them with each new junior class.
“Most students can’t afford to spend thousands of dollars on test preparation,” Scott Farber, president and co-founder of A-List said. “Schools can play a vital role and by training their teachers can offer outstanding SAT instruction at no cost to their students. It’s our hope to bring this program to high schools across the nation and to level the playing field.”
The program begins with senior A-List instructors conducting extensive seminars for the schools’ English and math teachers, equipping them with the content and strategies necessary for students to master the SAT. Teachers receive The A-List Book of Knowledge and companion teaching aids that offer explanations of answers and give detailed pedagogical reasoning about what types of mistakes students make and how to correct them. Students use A-List’s Vocab Videos, an innovative online vocabulary system, to learn more than 500 of the most frequently tested SAT words. Throughout the program, A-List provides the schools with detailed score reports that assess each student’s progress, indicate to teachers where a student is struggling, and suggest techniques to help improve scores. In addition, A-List consults with Paramus and North Bergen administrators to develop a customized curriculum and course structure, ensuring the program fits seamlessly into the school day.
“I’ve seen firsthand what A-List can do,” said Dr. Montesano, superintendent of schools, Paramus, NJ. “A-List’s SAT teacher training program allows the district to leverage its own assets and to institutionalize A-List’s proven approach to test prep. Their comprehensive materials and Vocab Videos are extraordinarily effective resources. Students, teachers, and the Paramus School District will all benefit from this program.”
In the past, A-List has run successful SAT courses using its own instructors at tri-state area high schools including Dumont High School in New Jersey. Here, A-List developed a strong, working relationship with the Dumont School District’s then superintendent, Dr. James Montesano. Looking to build on the success of the Dumont program, where many students’ SAT scores increased in excess of 150 points, Dr. Montesano welcomed A-List into Paramus, where he is currently superintendent of schools. This time Dr. Montesano asked A-List to work directly with teachers to create a customized SAT program implementing A-List’s materials and methodologies, enabling teachers to utilize them with each new junior class.
“Most students can’t afford to spend thousands of dollars on test preparation,” Scott Farber, president and co-founder of A-List said. “Schools can play a vital role and by training their teachers can offer outstanding SAT instruction at no cost to their students. It’s our hope to bring this program to high schools across the nation and to level the playing field.”
The program begins with senior A-List instructors conducting extensive seminars for the schools’ English and math teachers, equipping them with the content and strategies necessary for students to master the SAT. Teachers receive The A-List Book of Knowledge and companion teaching aids that offer explanations of answers and give detailed pedagogical reasoning about what types of mistakes students make and how to correct them. Students use A-List’s Vocab Videos, an innovative online vocabulary system, to learn more than 500 of the most frequently tested SAT words. Throughout the program, A-List provides the schools with detailed score reports that assess each student’s progress, indicate to teachers where a student is struggling, and suggest techniques to help improve scores. In addition, A-List consults with Paramus and North Bergen administrators to develop a customized curriculum and course structure, ensuring the program fits seamlessly into the school day.
“I’ve seen firsthand what A-List can do,” said Dr. Montesano, superintendent of schools, Paramus, NJ. “A-List’s SAT teacher training program allows the district to leverage its own assets and to institutionalize A-List’s proven approach to test prep. Their comprehensive materials and Vocab Videos are extraordinarily effective resources. Students, teachers, and the Paramus School District will all benefit from this program.”
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