Teacher Evaluation Pilot Program to be Evaluated by Rutgers Graduate School of Education

Department of Education Partners with Rutgers University to Conduct External Evaluation of Excellent Educators for New Jersey (EE4NJ) Teacher Evaluation 

Trenton, NJ - The New Jersey Department of Education announced today that it has selected Rutgers University Graduate School of Education to conduct an independent evaluation of the Excellent Educators for New Jersey(EE4NJ) teacher evaluation pilot program currently underway in 10 districts across the state. The evaluation will be used to identify successes and challenges in implementing a new educator evaluation system and will inform statewide rollout of a new evaluation framework in the 2013-14 school year. 

For more information: http://www.state.nj.us/education/news/2012/0228ee4nj.htm

New Jersey Educator Effectiveness Task Force Report

11 districts that participate in the teacher evaluation pilot program

District	County
Alexandria Township	Hunterdon
Bergenfield	Bergen
Elizabeth	Union
Monroe Township	Middlesex
Ocean City	Cape May
Pemberton Township	Burlington
Red Bank	Monmouth
Secaucus	Hudson
West Deptford Township	Gloucester
Woodstown-Pilesgrove Regional	Salem
Newark (to be funded through a separate grant)	Essex

Reasons for the pilot program

Board of Education Meetings: Let The Sun Shine In

The Privilege of the Floor 

For months now, the board president has required that the public sign in upon arrival if they wish to speak. This sign in sheet is then collected and he calls members of the public to the microphone where they are allowed 3 minutes to address the board. Depending on how well liked by the board the speaker is, the clock may be stopped. Every meeting, members of the audience seem to mistake the sign up sheet as an attendance roster. (Smiling) We are so conditioned. The announcement is made detailing the purpose of signing the piece of paper and people from all over the room get up and remove their names from the paper. During the course of the time allocated for public input, board members interject and burn up some of the time. No notice is given that this time is deducted from the time given to the public to speak.

Suggestion: Deduct the time used by board members during privilege of the floor

Suggestion: Create a formal sign up sheet entitled "Privilege of the Floor sign up sheet" or something to that effect. Make a bunch of copies and use one each meeting. This is an educational institution, after all.

Open Public Meetings Act -  Otherwise known as The Sunshine Law

This is a link to  A Guide to the Open Public Meetings Act. "The Open Public Meetings Law, which is commonly referred to as the “Sunshine Law”, was enacted in 1975.  It establishes the right of all citizens to have adequate advance notice of all public meetings and the right to attend meetings at which any business affecting the public is discussed or acted upon. – N.J.S.A. 10:4-6 to 10:4-2"

Minutes of such meetings are very important and must also be made available to the public. Events at such meetings are memoralized in the minutes and become the official permanent record. Few, if any of the EPSD minutes are presently available to the public. We hope that the board understands that minutes and agendas are not part of the records that they may destroy. It is possible to consult minutes from as far back as the 1930's.

Dr. Carlisle was absent and no explanation was given. It was odd that there was so much budget discussion in the absence of the person generally responsible for it. The Superintendent's report was replaced by several presentations. 

Janis E.  Dismus Library

Library System - Audrena Campagna  gave the "State of the Union of the District Library Media Center" I always find it interesting that the one person who earned hero status in Englewood, during his lifetime, is the same person who put and end to the library system in  the Englewood Schools. He said we did not need books. The speaker is relatively new to the district and does not know this history. The presentation was overlong even though we are all glad to have a semblance of our libraries back.

The Technology Presentation - Introduces the Janis E. Dismus GEEK Club

Cute Club. A fine show of solidarity. A more original name would have been even more impressive. (I still wear my Best Buy GEEK SQUAD T-shirt.) It is hoped that all of the students are encouraged to develop expertise on the computer. Good things are growing at the middle school because they have a principal who demonstrates that he has faith in their abilities. The students are beginning to show a good deal of pride in their school. Perhaps they will be allowed to keep this new source of inspiration. Anyone of these GEEK clubers probably has more computer know how than the man the City of Englewood claims the district is putting in charge of the new Interlocal Agreement that boasts shared services of Internet and Technology with the Englewood Board of Education. I would also like to know if anyone is considering that there are an awful lot of families in the district that do not have access to the Internet. The assumption seems to be that everyone has Internet/computer access. The district seems to have already gone paperless.

Teacher of the Year Awards - 2nd Mile Award - Lisa Finn-Bruce presented teacher of the year awards to a teacher from each district school. I had secretly hoped that the name of this award would be changed once it became evident that this is the name of the infamous Jerry Sandusky's nonprofit organization that was used in some rather unscrupulous ways. Well, who am I to say? Perhaps it does not bother people who have not kept up with the news.

Outsourcing

When the Pomp and circumstance was over secretaries and teachers spoke about the School Board's decision to "Outsource" valued personnel. The outsourcing is rumored to include all paraprofessionals, secretaries, nurses and believe it or not, the Child Study Team. The Staff had compelling arguments, but alas, to no avail. It is obvious that the board has already made the decision. The same over staffing and overspending that has brought the district low threatens to change it forever. One speaker reminded the board that many of these services were outsourced without success in the past. There are few words to describe how the idea of "outsourcing" familiar, caring personnel for indifferent strangers will affect the children and the over all climate of the district. It speaks to the pitiable state of the district's financial affairs.

It should be noted at this time that the decision to RFP (Request for Proposal) the outsourcing got a unanimous vote from the board of education. Every single board of education member voted in favor of the outsourcing search. I would not be surprised if in the 11th hour the board decides not to outsource the Child Study Team. Everyone will be so grateful that they will forget about the other positions and feel the board has actually given them something. Rather like Gov. Christie and the aid to NJ Education. None of these positions should be outsourced.  It is time for healing, not further tearing.

Broken Spirits

A student from the Academy spoke passionately about his feelings of being let down by the Academy. He was very clear in his opinion that the students on the entire Dwight Morrow High School Campus were not being challenged, encouraged or inspired by anyone. He thinks that too many of them are being told that they can't. He was concerned and suggested that he did not want his little sister to attend school in  Englewood in the present circumstances. He turned to the audience without discrimination and told them that their children could achieve great things if only someone believed in them. I gave him a standing ovation, because he spoke more honestly than any student who has come before the board. I paraphrased his speech here, but I was thoroughly impressed by the fact that his comments were not scripted by adults. He spoke from the heart. As always, an establishment adult rushed to his side. (Mr. Elbert, principal of the high school) That much independent thought is not encouraged. I was especially touched by this young man's speech because of what I carried in a shopping bag. It was an extra large #58 Jr. Raider Football jacket that I found in a mud puddle on my street. The jacket probably cost the owner well over $200. Where it was found is symbolic of what the young man was speaking. Spirit, confidence, self esteem and pride are in low supply among our district students. It is good to see that Janis E. Dismus students have developed a strong sense of pride in their school. We need to clone that and send it throughout the district.

I left to take someone home. Upon my return, I noticed that the board had not gone into closed session. They rambled on. It was very  unusual. There were less than 10 people in the audience. Half of them were employees of the district. When this was over Glenn Garrison made a suggestion. He voiced concern that since St.  Cecilia is a religious institution we might want to name the section of the campus that we are renting. He thought that it should be named for someone who had attended St. Cecilia. (Why? We are paying them a healthy monthly rent.) He suggested that we name the facility The Vincent Lombardi Educational Center. So what would Vincent Lombardi think of what has been done to the morale of the sports  program? How would he take to the fact that the stadium has been gutted beneath to serve other than the football team? The locker room is not large enough to hold the entire team at one time, especially if wearing full gear? It is four classrooms.   Is this a permanent facility? What are our long range plans there?

                                               How are the children?

A Race To The Top: Is the Englewood Public School District ready to climb aboard this ascending vessel?

Department of Education announces that 372 districts and charter schools have signed up to take part in the state's $38 million Race to the Top award  
Participating districts and charter schools will split $19 million federal dollars to advance statewide reforms 

For Immediate Release
Contact: Justin Barra
Allison Kobus
1-609-292-1126

Date: February 24, 2012

Trenton, NJ - The Department of Education today announced that 372 Local Education Agencies (LEAs) have signed up to take part in the state's $38 million Race to the Top award. Half of that money, or approximately $19 million, will be split among participating districts based on each LEA's relative share of funding under Title I. The other $19 million will be used by the state to advance the state's bold education reform agenda. An "LEA" is any district or charter school in the state.

New Jersey was awarded approximately $38 million in December as part of the US Department of Education's Race to the Top 3 (RTTT3) competition. As part of its RTTT3 application, New Jersey selected four objectives in line with the administration's education reform agenda: 

1. Development of model curriculum and assessments for all core content subject areas to support the adoption of the Common Core State Standards 


2. Development and rollout of an online Instructional Improvement System (IIS) that will serve as a platform for teachers to access the model curriculum and other supports like formative assessments and instructional tools 


3. Implementation of the state's new teacher evaluation system and the creation of a principal evaluation pilot program 


4. Expansion of high-quality school options by strengthening the Department's charter authorizing practices 

 For more information click here: http://www.state.nj.us/education/news/2012/0224rttt.htm

Is the Englewood Public School District ready to climb aboard this ascending vessel?

The Department of Education Awards $1 Million to 12 Districts for Outstanding Performance with Students with Disabilities

Department of Education Awards $1 Million to 12 Districts for Outstanding Performance with Students with Disabilities Also Announces First Ever $1 Million "Special Education Recognition Award" Competition Available to All Schools in 2012-13 School Year Through award, the Department will identify and disseminate successful practices across the state.

For Immediate Release...
Contact: Justin Barra
Allison Kobus
Date: February 17, 2012
 609-292-1126
http://www.state.nj.us/education/news/2012/0217se.htm 

Trenton, NJ - In order to highlight the importance of achievement for New Jersey's students with disabilities, the Department of Education today awarded $1 million to 12 districts that demonstrated both high growth and proficiency with their special education student population. In addition, the Department announced a $1 million competitive grant for individual schools that improve student performance for students with disabilities in the 2012-13 school year. 

This award will both encourage districts to explore innovative and proven modelsto serve students with disabilities and to disseminate those successful practices across the state. The funding comes from a portion of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) available to support state initiatives for students with disabilities. "We developed these awards to shine a spotlight on the needs of our students with disabilities, and to make sure that we as educators work tirelessly to improve their performance," said Acting Commissioner Chris Cerf. "By highlighting 12 successful districts last year and developing a competitive grant for next school year, we hope to learn from those that are most successfuland scale their practices across the state." The 12 awards announced today were granted to 12 districts that showed strong performance with students with disabilities in the 2010-11 school year. 

These districts did not know that they were eligible for an award until the announcement today. To identify districts, the Department created 5 different groupings of K-12 districts based on poverty level to ensure that districts serving all demographics were represented. The Department also created a sixth grouping of high school districts. The Department then looked at districts that met the following criteria: 

o The number of classified students enrolled was greater than 100 

o The number of valid test scores (NJASK 3-8, APA and HSPA) was greater than 50 in LAL and Math 

o The district classification rate reported in the fall of 2010 was no more than one percentage point above the state rate (which includes approximately 2% for students eligible for speech-language services and 14% for all other disabilities) 

o The district classification rate for specific learning disability (SLD) and speech-language impairment(SLI) combined was no more than one percentage point above the state combined rate as reported in the fall of 2010 (approximately 9%) In K-12 districts, the Department used a combination of absolute proficiency rates and growth to identify districts.

The Department identified proficiency in both math and language arts literacy (LAL) on the New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge (NJASK) and the Alternate Proficiency Assessment(APA. The Department identified growth throughout the year on the NJASK in grades 4 - 8, identified by the district's mean student growth percentile (SGP) for students with disabilities. This combination of growth and proficiency rates ensures that districts receive credit for how much their students improve throughout the year.

 In the high school districts, the Department identified successful districts based on achievement on the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA) and the APA. The Department is only able to calculate student growth percentiles for the NJASK. A list of the selected districts can be found at the end of this press release. Districts can use these funds in compliance with IDEA requirements to provide special education programs and services to students with disabilities. Through this award, districts will be able to implement enhanced services and expand successful programs leading to improved student results for students with disabilities.

"While certainly these districts are not the only ones to show results for students with disabilities, we hope that this announcement today spurs dialogue so that we identify and learn from successful programs across the state," said Acting Commissioner Chris Cerf.

In conjunction with this award, the Department also announced the first ever $1 million "Special Education Recognition Award"available to all schools in the 2012-13 school year. The Department will award IDEA funds to up to 20 schools that demonstrate improved achievement and/or growth in mathematics or language arts literacy. Schools that wish to compete for the award will complete an application in the spring of 2012. Each applicant will identify a grade or grade range that is tested by state assessments (3-8 and/or 11) and implement supplementary instructional strategies or programs, services, and/or educational technology for the purposes of improving achievement in mathematics or language arts for students with disabilities.


In their application, schools will identify how growth will be measured in the school or classroom, such as through a curriculum-based measurement or other classroom-based measure. In the spring of 2013, achievement results and other performance documentation from eligible districts will be reviewed by an external panel of experts who will make the final recommendations for awards in the summer of 2013. The Department will release an application with additional details in the coming weeks. 


"Through the Special Education Recognition Award, we will reward schools that are truly successful in improving outcomes for some of our most vulnerable students, and to identify innovative and successful practices to share with all of our schools," said Acting Commissioner Cerf. "As educators, we must work to continuously improve our programs and strategies to help all of our students graduate from high school ready for college and career." 


A list of districts awarded grants for the 2010-11 school year are below:
District County Award Poverty level - 0-5%
North Caldwell, Essex $50,000
Green Brook Township, Somerset $75,000

Poverty level - >5-15%
Lincoln Park Borough, Morris $75,000
Madison, Morris $100,000

Poverty level - >15-30%
Totowa, Passaic $75,000
Dennis Township, Cape May $50,000

Poverty level - >30-60%
North Bergen, Hudson $100,000
Lodi, Bergen $100,000

Poverty level - >60%
Dover Town, Morris $100,000
Fairview, Bergen $75,000

High School District

No. Hunterdon/Voorhees Reg High,Hunterdon $100,000

Northern Valley Regional, Bergen $100,000

The Achievement GAP: Are too Many Carbs Eaten off Styrofoam Plates Causing Neurological damage in Your Child?

We are what we eat?

It really is time to OCCUPY your child's school lunch program. Styrofoam plates have been outlawed in many school districts across the country. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have both stated that styrene is possibly carcinogenic and harmful to humans and aquatic life. (carcinogenic=cancer causing) One of the risks is to the central nervous system. Depression, headaches, dizziness and neurological problems has been indicated after prolonged use. Harmful chemicals leach out into the hot food when it is served on these plates. If you lift up the hot macaroni and cheese you find the shape or imprint on the plate beneath. In the past, I have refused to eat at Boston Market, because the one time I did eat there the styrofoam plate melted and blended with my roasted chicken. It was quite disgusting. I notice that the food is not served on those crazy cheap trays anymore. 

Don't we have more than enough problems with behavior and inattentiveness to risk that the school lunch tray may be contributing to neurological problems in our children? A child eats a hot breakfast and a hot lunch off styrofoam from pre-k to high school. Is that what we call prolonged exposure? Is styrene a factor entangled in the Achievement GAP in America? Are our children being addicted to carbohydrate filled lunches and poisoned by their lunch trays? 

WebMD - 8 New Cancer Causes - Notice that the first new agent determined to cause cancer is styrene.

 http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2011/01/portland_students_push_distric.html

Portland students push district to abandon styrofoam lunch trays


STYRENE: Increase your knowledge of this potentially dangerous product on which your child's food is served daily. Use the resources below to determine the dangers of your child's lunch plate and your styrofoam coffee cup.

• Styrene
• Earth Resource Foundation
• Waste Reduction: The Facts About Styrofoam
• Styrofoam Products
• Bad Things About Styrofoam
• Bad Things About Styrofoam Trays and What you can do To Eliminate Them
• One Mom's Battle Against Styrofoam lunch Trays
• Portland students push district to abandon styrofoam lunch trays
• The Story of Styrofoam Trays and What you can do To Eliminate Them
• A Possible solution for ridding the world of styrofoam?
• The Dangers of Polystyrene
• Joint the Fight Against the use of Polystyrene in food service

Alternatives to Styrofoam - All are Biodegradable and do not contain toxins harmful to humans or wildlife.

• PrimeWare - Leading Manufacturer of Eco-Friendly, Biodegradable and Recyclable Tableware
• Go-Green Sugar Cane 100% Compostable
• Tree Cycle Recycled Paper
• Oceansgreen: Biodegradable, Disposable
• Ithaca Natural Resource
• Sustainable design for Living Branch
• Go Green 100% Compostable
• Green Choice
• The Corn Starch Lunch Tray
• The Bamboo Lunch Tray
• Sustainable Food Service Trays - Biodegradable

And then there is paper...

The Zero Waste Lunch..........  What a magnificent contradiction this district manifests on so many levels. Go Green. Environmentalists. How many styrofoam trays is EPSD adding to the dump every single day? Styrofoam trays never rot or break down. They are forever. They will harm any wildlife that attempts to consume bits and pieces.

                                How are the Children?