N.J.
adjusts list of schools missing U.S.
benchmarks
Tuesday, May 24, 2005 • BY BEV
McCARRON • Star-Ledger Staff
A revised tally of how well schools are
meeting the No Child Left Behind Act found four more schools
falling short, but 32 other schools doing better than the
state initially thought.
The state Department of Education
yesterday changed the status of the schools, because they
successfully appealed or due to new calculations in testing
data, said Jon Zlock, spokesman for the
department.
The revisions mean that four districts
now face greater sanctions. Three of them -- Franklin Middle
School in Essex County, Monroe High School in Middlesex and
North Brunswick High School -- will be required to offer
school choice.
A fourth school -- North Bergen High
School in Hudson -- also faces greater penalties after
moving further down the ladder and is now required to offer
supplemental services, including tutoring, along with school
choice.
With the changes, the state now has 498
schools of 2,398, or 20 percent, that are listed as being
"in need of improvement," and are facing various
sanctions.
Schools are labeled as needing
improvement when they miss one or more of 40 criteria on
standardized tests for more than two years in a
row.
In September, the state released
preliminary results showing 520 schools facing sanctions,
but that number has been revised several times as schools
appeal or the results are adjusted. Zlock said the state is
required to give the federal government a preliminary count
by September, but that final calculations can change the
status of a school.
"The good news is, most schools changed
for the better," Zlock said.
A full list of 37 schools can be found at
the education department's Web site, http://www.state.nj.us/njded/news/2005/0523ayp.htm.
Of the schools that changed for the
better, 24 came off the "needs improvement" list and eight
moved closer to getting off that list.
A school is judged by how well it does
from year to year on the high school proficiency test taken
by 11th-graders, the eighth-grade proficiency assessment and
the fourth-grade skills assessment.
To be considered a success under the
terms of NCLB, a school must meet proficiency targets and
have a 95 percent test rate in each of 10 categories,
including school- wide participation, students with limited
English skills and categories of race, socioeconomic status
and special education.
If a school falls short for two
consecutive years in the same area, it is considered "in
need of improvement" and can face sanctions.
Bev McCarron covers education. She may be reached at
bmccar ron@starledger.com or (908) 429-3018.
© 2005 The Star-Ledger. Used by NJ.com with
permission.
|