OTHS students continue
to score above state averages
By just about any measure, Ocean Township’s school system is performing well and doing so cost effectively, according to the school report cards recently released by the state.
Superintendent of Schools Thomas M. Pagano said that he is happy with his district’s above average scores on state mandated tests and the SAT, but he wants to see every student achieve that level.
The state’s school district reports cards have been released and the township’s high school averages show predominately higher scores than the state averages.
The High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA) test showed about 87 percent of the district’s students tested in the proficient and advanced proficient in language arts and about 92 percent were in those categories in mathematics.
The state averages were about 80 percent scoring proficient or better in language arts and 66 percent considered proficient or better in mathematics.
The SAT score averages also were higher within the district, with the district’s combined math and verbal score at 1058 and the state score at 1018.
"We have been above the state averages traditionally here in Ocean Township," Pagano said. "We want every single student to be above the cutoff. We are working very hard for all our students."
He said he is pleased with the scores the students in high school have been receiving, but he wants the students to keep on improving.
The township is currently conducting a study on the HSPA testing to see if there is any correlation between students who tested poorly with students who have not been in the district for their entire scholastic education. Pagano said they have already discovered a few.
The district also has a higher attendance rate than the state, about 96 in the district to the state average of 94. There is also a lower dropout rate, about .4 percent to the state’s 1.9 percent.
The student suspension rates within the district have gone from 14 percent last year to 4 percent this year, measuring below the state average of about 14 percent.
"We are trying to set a tone in the high school," Pagano said. "We expect that the students who are there are there to learn. We address issues right away, before it gets to suspension or expulsions."
He said the faculty is working hard with every student and tries to extinguish bad behavior before its gets to a disciplinary point, even though the district has a below-average number of administrators. The school is averaging about 268 students to each administrator, compared to the state averaging about 158 students to each administrator. The number is lower than in the 2001-02 school year when the district had 287 students to each administrator.
Pagano said this is a very disturbing trend that he is concerned about.
"In the past three budget years, we have eliminated three administrative positions because of budget constraints," Pagano said. "Administrators are performing double duties. We hope that Trenton will find a more equitable way to fund the school district."
He said that middle class school districts are hurting because of the lack of school aid.
Although the district is short on the number of administrators and faculty members, the staff they have is experienced and most teachers have been with the district for most of their careers, according to Pagano.
The administrative salaries within the district are $102,900, compared to the state average of $95,806; the faculty salaries in the district are $62,050 to the state average of $50,002.
Pagano said those numbers are the average salaries, that some administrators make above it and others below. The numbers are higher because the district has a predominately senior staff, he said.
"We are pleased because we have a high number of students in advanced placement," Pagano said. "We know our students are receiving a sound education and we are preparing them for college."
— Christine Varno