JACKSON – How well the Jackson School District is doing and how it can improve was the main theme behind the recent State of the Schools meeting held by the Board of Education.
Board President Marvin Krakower said the presentation of the State of the Schools is a time to report and reflect upon the achievements of the past year and to present a plan for the district’s continued improvement.
Superintendent of Schools Thomas Gialanella detailed some of the information in the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and what it means to Jackson students. According to the requirements of NCLB, all students must reach proficient levels in all areas tested by 2014. Students are tested in grades three through eight and once in grades 10 through 12.
All teachers must be highly qualified in the subject they teach and each school must achieve what is called Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), which is determined by benchmarks that establish levels of proficiency for given years.
If students do not meet AYP or what is referred to as safe harbor, sanctions may occur against a school. Safe harbor is defined as being when a subgroup of all of the students being tested (i.e., limited English speaking students) does not meet AYP in a particular year, but does increase 10 percent from the previous year’s test results.
Test results are broken down into 20 subgroups which include, but are not limited to students with disabilities and economically disadvantaged students.
Apples to apples
Gialanella said the State of the Schools report this year is different from reports in previous years.
For the first time administrators are comparing the results of the same group of students (i.e., this year’s fourth-graders and their test results with those same students’ test results as third-graders) rather than different groups (i.e., comparing the results of this year’s fourth-graders on the test they took as third-graders to this year’s thirdgraders).
Assistant Superintendent LuAnne Meinders said, “The focus of this presentation will not only be on scores, but what the Jackson School District is doing to prepare students to work and live in a world which has dramatically changed over the past 20 years. Under NCLB, success is measured by levels of proficiency. The state of New Jersey has established benchmark percentages of achievement to demonstrate adequate yearly progress. The ultimate goal is 100 percent proficiency for every student in 2014.”
Specific goals were established for language arts and literacy as well as for mathematics.
A series of tests were developed and phased into the process during the past five years. These tests are administered in grades three, four, five, six, seven, eight and 11.
It is expected that “end of course” tests will be added to courses in high school biology and Algebra II.
Also expected will be a proposed revamping of high school graduation requirements, which will occur in 29 states, including New Jersey.
“Under the traditional method of reporting scores, the Jackson School District would simply report that all schools under Title I (having to do with federal funding) have achieved AYP,” Meinders told the board. “This is the first time in the past three years that the district has not had to offer supplemental services or was reported to be in any level of sanction under NCLB.”
Meinders said there are two schools, the Goetz Middle School and Jackson Memorial High School, where specific subgroups of students did not achieve AYP. However, since those schools are not Title I schools they are not subject to sanctions under NCLB.
Regardless, administrators still decided to submit an action plan for subgroups, the assistant superintendent said.
This year, the New Jersey Department of Education announced the adoption of a longitudinal data collection system referred to as a growth model or value added model, she said.
“Data is collected on the same student or the same population from one year to the next to measure achievement,” Meinders said. “We no longer compare apples and oranges (two different groups of students).”
Examining a growth model chart showing longitudinal data for the sixth grade (high school class of 2014), Meinders said people examining the data can easily see the growth if the same student population from one year to the next is used.
“Unlike the traditional depiction of data, this chart represents how the same students have performed from one year to the next,” she said.
The next chart showed the performance of seventh-graders (high school class of 2013). It indicated the progressive increase in scores on standardized tests in grades three, four and five, but also noted a slight dip when students reached grade six and moved to a different school setting (middle school).
Examining the data for the class of 2008 (current high school seniors), Meinders said this was the first class that could be tracked from elementary school (2000 ESPA test), through middle school (2004 GEPA test), and then high school (2007 HSPA test).
A blue graph bar indicated scores for students who were not in the Jackson School District continually from elementary school through high school. Those students scored slightly lower in math and literacy on the HSPA (High School Proficiency Assessment) tests.
Meinders said the 2007 scores indicated that students who were in the Jackson School District benefited from their education in the formative years.
Advanced Placement courses
and scholarships
In 2006-07 the Jackson School District revised all Advanced Placement (AP) curricula to align with College Board guidelines. In 2007 the district introduced an AP course in Government and Politics. Jackson now ranks among the top five schools in Monmouth and Ocean counties in the number of AP courses offered on site, according to information provided by district administrators.
More than 200 students were enrolled in one or more of the 17 AP courses with 278 students receiving scores of 3 or higher. This means that 72 percent of the AP students scored 3 or higher. In 2006-07, $2 million in scholarships and grants were offered to Jackson Memorial High School students, according to the information provided. There were eight National Merit Scholars; 29 Bloustein Scholars; and one Governor’s School participant.
Meinders said 82.9 percent of the graduating class of 2007 had plans to attend a two-year or a four-year college. The graduation statistics only reflect Jackson Memorial High School. Jackson Liberty High School has not yet had a graduating class.
What’s next
In 2007-08 the district will pilot an elementary Odyssey math program with Rutgers University which will begin to prepare pupils for college as early as elementary education
The district plans to expand the use of graphing calculators at the middle school level in math and science, while at the high school level administrators are planning to investigate additional SAT preparation through online courses.
In 2008-09 plans call for exploring small group learning communities and projectbased learning. During the 2009-10 school year, administrators are hoping to implement virtual high school programs. In 2010-11 plans call for expanding the professional learning communities and in 2011-12 it is expected that the assessment process will formally commence.
Also in 2008-09, the district will be exploring new initiatives including the international baccalaureate program, which prepares students in technology, business and communication.
Special education initiatives
Director of Special Education Jeanne Pollack said although the growth model data is available for the student body as a whole, the district is still compiling the information with the EdAnalyzer for the subgroups of students who took standardized tests.
Specific scores for special education subgroups are available through links to the state and the NCLB report cards on the district’s Web site, Pollack said.
“At the elementary levels for grades three, four and five schools were required to achieve a proficiency level of 62 percent in math and 75 percent in literacy to achieve AYP or to reach safe harbor with a 10 percent increase in scores,” Pollack said. “All elementary special education students achieved either AYP or safe harbor last year.”
Benchmarks for middle school special education student proficiency are 49 percent in mathematics and 66 percent in literacy.
With the exception of Goetz Middle School math scores in the GEPA (eighthgrade testing), all middle school special education students achieved AYP or safe harbor.
Since Goetz Middle School is not a Title I school, it is not subject to NCLB sanctions. However, an improvement plan is being implemented, according to district administrators.
All Jackson Memorial High School special education students achieved either AYP or safe harbor except for the students taking the math portion of the HSPA. This school is also not a Title I school and sanctions do not apply.
Initiatives include parent-to-parent workshops held monthly and include presentations by consultants and other experts; trans-disciplinary strategies; occupational and physical therapy and socialization opportunities; and the Study Island Web-based program to improve skills for HSPA math and literacy.
There are also grants for staff development, teacher training, parent workshops, paraprofessional training and consultations during the school year.