Annual Quality Assurance Annual Report details schools’ plans
By Eileen Oldfield Staff Writer
A report by Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum Lisa Antunes showed that while Hillsborough schools may have met their goals for the No Child Left Behind Act, they fell short on some higher standards set for themselves.
Dr. Antunes presented the district’s 2006 to 2007 Quality Assurance Annual Report (QAAR) at Monday’s Board of Education meeting, showing the missed goals.
The district’s QAAR goals are independent of the goals set by the No Child Left Behind act; schools may meet their NCLB goals, but may miss their district-determined goals.
Overall, Hillsborough schools achieved the district set goals for this year; many of the goals focused on reading and math assessments. Of those two goals, Triangle School, Auten Road Intermediate School, Hillsborough Middle School, and Hillsborough High School missed one of their school’s goals.
Sunnymeade Elementary school missed both of their goals for the year, which involved all third and fourth graders reaching the “Just Proficient Mean” on the reading and writing sections of the NJ ASK tests.
”We do nothing for schools that missed the goals,” said Dr. Antunes. “Schools and an advisory committee decide on new goals.”
School officials could not comment on new goals or whether any changes would be made to help students attain the goals.
The report also contained school’s goals for the 2007 to 2008 school year. According to Dr. Antunes, the district raised the goals for this year because of increased goals under NCLB. Many of the goals involved reaching safe harbor designation under NCLB, though Hillsborough schools met or exceeded those benchmarks last year.
”New goals are set to meet the new benchmarks put out by NCLB for the 2007 to 2008 school year,” said Dr. Antunes. “The safe harbor designation acts as a safety net, for all districts, not just Hillsborough Township Public Schools, for meeting goals.”
Teachers, principals, board members, and Dr. Antunes develop each school’s yearly goals. While most of the goals presented at the meeting involve student assessment, other QAAR components involve facilities assessments, professional development provisions, and an analysis of community involvement. Some of the report’s 14 components are designed for Hillsborough specifically.
”QAAR is not just in the schools,” said Dr. Antunes at the meeting. “It really encompasses all these other things. We get input from the supervisors, the board, and the business office. It really is an effort by every one.”
While the Somerset County Department of Education approved the 2007 to 2008 academic goals, the board must approve other parts of the report before the county can approve it.
The QAAR report is accessible through the Assistant Superintendent’s page on the district Web site, http://www.hillsborough.k12.nj.us/1392101013145230827/blank/browse.asp?A=383&BMDRN=2000&BCOB=0&C=55261.

