Wednesday, March 7, 2012

The New QSAC Monitoring System Focuses on Individual Schools & Student Achievement

State Board of Education Adopts Changes to Streamline QSAC Monitoring and to Put Increased Focus on Student Achievement, Health and Safety, and Fiscal Accountability 

 Trenton, NJ - The State Board of Education voted today to streamline the state process for monitoring school districts through amendments to the New Jersey Quality Single Accountability Continuum (QSAC). The changes begin to reduce burdensome compliance and paperwork requirements for districts while focusing on factors that are central to student achievement, health and safety, and fiscal accountability. The changes are part of a larger initiative to remove bureaucratic red tape and focus both state and district resources on what matters most - improving student achievement. 

The Department has committed to continuing to review QSAC to make it a more meaningful improvement tool and to align it with the state's new school-level accountability system outlined in its No Child Left Behind flexibility application, which was approved by the US Department of Education last month. "By adopting these recommendations, we can begin to replace a burdensome system with one that measures what's important. We can eliminate redundancies and free up resources to focus on the needs of all students to provide the highest quality educational experience," State Board President Arcelio Aponte said.


Among others, the changes today include:
  • A reduction in the number of indicators that are self-evaluated by the district and monitored by the New Jersey Department of Education from 334 to 48, which decreases both the time districts spend on compliance and focuses attention on what matter most.
  • The creation of a Statement of Assurance (SOA) that consists of 50 performance quality indicators in the five key component areas of school district effectiveness. The SOA is a self-evaluation tool that districts must complete annually and it will be incorporated as an indicator in each of the five key component areas of the QSAC review that occurs every 3 years. The NJDOE will use the SOA in the intervening years of the QSAC cycle to provide technical assistance to the district on areas where they have identified a deficiency in the SOA.
  • The elimination of duplicative monitoring performed by the department and within the DPRs. For example, the DPRs no longer include monitoring of financial reports that are submitted to the NJDOE annually and no longer include financial management information already monitored through the budget review process.
  • A focus on student growth in the evaluation of student achievement measures, rather than simply a review of whether a district met a certain proficiency level.


In its interim report in September, the Education Transformation Task Force identified a number of deficiencies in the current QSAC process. Among others, the report outlined how QSAC focuses on district “capacity” rather than student performance; that the information provided under current QSAC regulations is inconsistent, unreliable, and fails to distinguish between very different districts; that it has failed to drive district improvement; and that it overlaps and at times contradicts the state’s school-level accountability system.
The changes approved today will take effect immediately for districts undergoing a QSAC review this year.


For more information:
http://www.state.nj.us/education/news/2012/0307qsac.htm

Saturday, March 3, 2012

EPSD votes Yes on 1% Tax Levy

March 1, 2012: Englewood Board of Education votes on Preliminary Budget


Dr. Carlisle and the Business Administrator were to present a more fleshed out version of the budget tonight. This was the second Public Budget Meeting.  They were like 2 students who had not completed their homework. Dr. Carlisle made a presentation of what to expect from the completed budget. This article was basically constructed of the notes I took. My thoughts are in red.

8 Turnaround Principles
1. climate and culture - He said that when he came here there was a lot of negativity. The middle school was in chaos, the high school was dysfunctional and order was needed. He thinks the bridge program did a lot to alleviate that. He said that there are now receptionists in every building for welcoming parents. He admits that the website has to be improved and that he is currently encouraging Caryn Furst to get more stuff in there. He wants her to sell the product. (When I signed up for the new digital newsletter some of the schools were left off the list when the prompt asked for the relationship to the schools. DMHS was not there as a choice, neither was the Eagle or Bridge programs.)
2. Principal Leadership - Dr. Carlisle defended the decision to move Principals
  • Dwight Morrow High School - P. Elbert to the high school. He said that he was a good fit because he already knew the children. He credits his move to the high school as changing the climate there. He said that they are blending the two sides of the campus together, it is not perfect, but they are working on it. Students report that the bells are ringing now. That is a positive. It is difficult to ascertain just how effective Mr. Elbert is since Dr. Carlisle is on premises. It is a strange arrangement. Regardless of what Dr. Carlisle says, it seems a strained arrangement. The community does not see the fact that Mr. Elbert knows the children as a positive. These are the same students that were in his care when he was removed from principal of the middle school because it was a failing school.
  • Janis E. Dismus Middle School - He praised Lamar Thomas and his leadership at Janis E. Dismus Middle School. He said that he has not gotten a single complaint out of the middle school since Lamar took over. It should be noted here that Mr. Thomas was not first choice. A woman from NYC declined the job after attending a meeting with parents this summer. Mr. Thomas was slated to be Assistant Principal. He stepped up to the plate and is doing the job. We are still waiting for the resolution that will make Mr. Thomas Principal. It is obvious that the  climate of the school has improved. The attitude, school spirit and self esteem seems much healthier.
  • Superintendent's Office At High School - He reminded us that his office has also moved to the 2nd floor at the high school. He reports that everything has changed on that floor under his watchful eye.
  • Quarles Early Childhood Learning Center - He asserted that this was the best fit for Marsha Howard. He suggested that she does well with this age group.
3. Quality of Instruction - 
4. Standards based curriculum He spoke vaguely about the Common Core State Standards and suggested to Glenn Garrison that either his state or his did not adopt it. By the way, it was Dr. Carlisle's home state of Texas and not Glenn Garrison's home state of North Carolina, that did not adopt the Common Core State Standards. He mentioned that "Core Certification" would be tied to assessments.
5. Effective use of data
  • He talked about the book Driven by Data: A Practical Guide to Improve Instruction that he
    distributed to all principals and the Board of Education earlier in the school year. 
  • He did not mention how he had used any Data Driven information to determine how to structure the budget so as to maximize student achievement.
6. Effective staffing practices
  • . He mentioned that they had to use better Job Descriptions
  •   Supervision had to be provided
  •   The Boost - He said that he had given the district a boost when he came but now it is time to pull   back.
7.  Academically focused family and community engagement - He mentioned that he had challenged students to perform better on the standardized tests than Teaneck students. Teaneck was chosen because of the close proximity.  He said that they have to start treating the youngsters like our own children.
8.  Redesigning of School time - We have to use time more wisely. He said that some of the new faces we were introduced to last year would not be around next year. Class size in Quarles was compared to that of private schools and that the classes would be larger next year.  He suggested that there would be changes in the classes at DMHS and the Alternative School. Program. There was no explanation as to what this meant.

This year's New Buzz Words and Phrases
Not Just What you spend...but it is how well it is spent...Changing the way the money is spent is by far the most important means of actually changing the behavior of schools and the school systems. He talked of a meeting with Acting Commissioner Cerf and how he was impressed by his cabinet.

The Business Administrator took over and repeated a story that loosely detailed our Funding History. It seems that Englewood was spoiled because they got used to the Equity and Excellence money from the state that was used to fund the Academy. Spending was not 
adjusted to compensate for the end of this money. 
She presented some base assumptions - 
  • Student enrollment is flat and would remain so
  • Continue Majority of the programs
  • Operations Cost were increasing
  • The move from Liberty - They did not talk about that crazy lease signed with St. Cecilia
  • Charter School Represents a cost increase of 785,000
  • Contracts with 3 bargaining units coming up
  • $270,000 grant program is ending and they wish to keep the program (they did not identify program)
  • Health Benefits increasing
  • Fuel and Energy Cost increasing
  • Facilities and infrastructures (She noted that she was impressed with the way the facilities looked. I don't know what she expected.)
  • Staff resource levels -  (We assume this means the extra teachers that we picked up last year who had not been provided for in the 2011 - 2012 budget. They did not specifically mention the outsourcing of anyone. The rumor was that secretaries, aides, substitutes, and even the child study team would be outsourced. This seems like something that should have been included if it will truly happen.)
  • Alter work schedules (This was not explained)
  • A better management of "extra duty" stipends  (no elaborations here)
She said that the focus in 2012 - 2013 would be on Creating the New Normal  This New Normal would involve a reduction in expenditures in order to regain surplus. She said that down the road we would recoup our money from the tax increase. She repeated that the key is how well you spend the money.
She gave us another calendar schedule detailing the timeline for submission of the budget to the state and preparing it for the vote in April. 
  • 3/1 Adopt Budget
  • 3/2 Submit formal state document
  • 3/22 Get approval from the County office
  • 2/29 public hearing 2012 -2013 Budget
  • 3/30 Last day to present Budget to the County
  • 4/17 Vote on the Budget by the public
At this point Dr. Carlisle diverted attention to the public (less than 10 people) to an explanation of how Rosemary Seitel presented the Technology Committee at February 23 meeting in his absence. He repeated the correction of the Library specialist's data pertaining to the number of books to students throughout the district. He apologized for the low number of books to students at DMHS. He said that the library is humming with activity from both sides of the campus. A visiting speaker supposedly commented that, "the students were the most focused and well behaved students of any school she has been in." He attributed this to our "circle of colors" as they relate to student behavior. (I don't know what that means)

Privilege of the floor was opened and Mr. Popkin wanted to know what the board was signing tonight.
He held last year's budget in his hand and asked how costs had been reduced through retirement. Mr. Popkin was very specific in his questions and Dr.  Carlisle, the BA and the Board were extremely vague. They grew annoyed with him and there was a little shouting. Mr. Popkin accused them of bullying and Dr. Carlisle accused that old man of bullying. Dr. Carlisle basically suggested that school boards should not have to put up with people from the public who insist on having their questions answered. Mr. Popkin was at the heart of the matter They should have just admitted that they were voting tonight because of the timeline for submission above. The presentation had an awful lot to be desired in terms of detail. We had no better idea of how the money would be spent than before we came. There were also inconsistencies. They told Mr. Popkins that there were no line items. Later on, after privilege of the floor, they said the board had seen the line items.

This is how the Board of Education Voted on the 1% tax Levy.
Lubarr..........No
In time we will catch up?
Smith............No
Brown..........No
Pruitt............Yes
Mark...........Yes
Diaz.............Yes
Garrison III.....Yes
Garrison...........Yes
Ungar...............Yes

Leaving the board this year are 
Miriam Lubarr and  Shirley Smith.
Henry Pruitt is running for office again in April. Why did he vote for a 1% tax levy?
Meanwhile, we were befuddled. The New Normal cannot possibly be put to paper before the final document is submitted to the County for approval. They don't even have any figures yet. Dr. Carlisle's contract is also part of the budget. We hope it does not complicate things like it did last year. I have never voted against a school budget. I guess I always just trusted that the board knew what they were doing. I no longer feel the same about that. The is always a first time for everything.


                                                How are the children?

Friday, March 2, 2012

Aggressive Oversight of Charter Schools

Department of Education Continues Aggressive Oversight of Charter Schools to Ensure Students are Getting Results

Results Trenton, NJ - Continuing the Christie Administration's commitment to aggressively oversee charter schools operating throughout the state, the Department of Education today announced the renewal of 16 existing charter schools for additional 5 year charter terms and the closure of 2 charters that have chronically failed to produce acceptable results for their students. Under the Christie Administration, the Department of Education has put a renewed focus and commitment on ensuring that the state's charter schools are of the highest quality and held to high standards of accountability, including swiftly addressing low-performing schools through corrective and remedial actions and closing those that are not effective.

For further information: http://www.state.nj.us/education/news/2012/0302

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Election Time is Near: Use these Guidelines to help form Questions for the Candidates


How Do You Create a Great Superintendent?
For Boards of Education & the Communities at Large
Standard I: Leadership and District Culture
Indicators: A Superintendent should know and be able to:
  •   Formulate a written vision statement of future direction for the district.
  •  Demonstrate an awareness of international issues affecting schools and students.
  •   Promote academic rigor and excellence for staff and students.
  •   Maintain personal, physical, and emotional wellness
  •   Empower others to reach high levels of performance
  •   Build self-esteem in staff and students 
  •   Exhibit creative problem solving
  •   Promote and model risk taking
  •   Respect and encourage diversity among people and programs
  •   Manage time effectively
  •   Facilitate comparative planning between constituencies
  •   Conduct district school climate assessments
  •   Exhibit multicultural and ethnic understanding
  •   Promote the value of understanding and celebrating school/community cultures
Standard 2: Policy and Governance
Indicators: A superintendent should know and be able to:
  •  Describe the system of public school governance in our democracy
  • Describe procedures for superintendent-board of education interpersonal and working relationships
  • Relate local policy to state and federal regulations and requirements
  • Describe procedures to avoid civil and criminal liabilities
Standard 3: Communications and Community Relations
Indicators: A superintendent should know and be able to:
  • Articulate district vision, mission, and priorities to the community and mass media
  • Demonstrate an understanding of political theory and skills needed to build community support for district priorities.
  • Understand and be able to communicate with all cultural groups in the community.
  • Demonstrate that good judgment and actions communicate as well as words
  • Develop formal and informal techniques to gain external perception of a district by means of surveys, advisory groups, and personal contact.
  • Communicate and project an articulate position for education
  • Write and speak clearly and forcefully
  • Demonstrate formal  and informal listening skills
  • Demonstrate group membership and leadership skills
  • Identify the political context of the community environment
  • Formulate strategies for passing referenda
  • Persuade the community to adopt an initiative for the welfare of students
  • Demonstrate conflict mediation
  • Demonstrate school/community relations, school business  partnerships, and related public service activities
  • Identify, track and deal with issues
  • Develop and carry out internal and external communication plans
Standard 4: Organizational Management
Indicators: A superintendent should know and be able to:
  • Define processes for gathering , analyzing and using data for informed decision making
  • Demonstrate a  problem-framing process
  • Define the major components of quality management
  • Develop, implement, and monitor change processes to build capacities to serve clients
  • Discuss legal concepts regulations, and codes for school operations
  • Describe the process of delegating responsibility for decision making
  • Develop a process for maintaining accurate fiscal reporting
  • Acquire, allocate, and manage human, material , and financial resources to effectively and accountability ensure successful student learning.
  • Use technological applications to enhance administration of business and support systems
  • Demonstrate financial forecasting, planning and cash flow management
  • Perform budget planning, management, account auditing, and monitoring
  • Demonstrate a grasp of practices in administering auxiliary programs, such as maintenance, facilities, food services, etc.
  • Demonstrate planning and scheduling of personal time and organization work
Standard 5: Curriculum Planning and Development
Indicators: A superintendent should know and be able to:
  • Develop core curriculum design and delivery systems for diverse school communities
  • Describe curriculum planning/futures methods to anticipate occupational trends and their educational implication for lifelong learners
  • Demonstrate an understanding of instructional taxonomies, goals, objectives, and processes.
  • Demonstrate cognitive development and learning theories and their importance to the sequencing of instruction
  • Demonstrate an understanding of child and adolescent growth and development
  • Describe a process to create developmentally appropriate curriculum and structional pracrices for all children and adolescents.
  • Demonstrate the use of computers and other technologies in educational programming
  • Conduct assessments of present and future student learning needs
  • Develop a process for faculty input in continued and systematic renewal of the curriculum to ensure appropriate scope, sequence, and content
  • Demonstrate an understanding of curricular alignment to ensure improved student performance and higher order thinking
Standard 6: Instructional Management
Indicators: A superintendent should know and be able to:
  • Develop, implement, and monitor change processes to improve student learning, adult development, and climates for learning
  • Demonstrate an understanding of motivation in the instructional process
  • Describe classroom management theories and techniques
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the development of the total student, including the physical, social emotional, cognitive,  and linguistic needs
  • Formulate a plan to assess appropriate teaching methods  and strategies for all learners
  • Analyze available instructional resources and assign them in the most cost-effective and equitable manner to enhance student outcomes.
  • Describe instructional strategies that include the role of multicultural sensitivity and learning styles.
  • Exhibit applications of computer technology connected to instructional programs
  • Describe alternative methods of monitoring and evaluating student achievement based on objectives and learning outcomes
  • Describe how to interpret and use testing/assessment results to improve education
  • Demonstrate knowledge of research findings on the use of a variety of instrructional strategies
  • Describe a student achievement monitoring and reporting system
Standard 7: Human Resources Management
Indicators: A superintendent should know and be able to:
  • Develop a plan to assess system and staff needs to identify areas for concentrated staff development
  • Demonstrate knowledge of adult learning theory and motivation
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of comprehensive staff development programming to determine its effect on professional performance.
  • Demonstrate use of system and staff evaluation data for personnel policy and decision making
  • Diagnose and improve organizational health/morale
  • Demonstrate personnel management strategies
  • Understand alternative benefit packages
  • Assess individual and institutional sources of stress and develop methods for reducing stress (e.g. counseling, exercise programs, and diet).
  • Demonstrate knowledge of pupil personnel services and categorical programs
Standard 8: Indicators: Values and Ethics of Leadership
Indicators: A superintendent should know and be able to:
  • Exhibit multicultural and ethnic understanding and sensitivity
  • Describe the role of schooling in a democratic society
  • Demonstrate ethical and personal integrity
  • Model accepted moral and ethical standards in all interactions
  • Describe a strategy to promote the value that moral and ethical practices are established and practiced in each classroom and school.
  • Describe how education undergirds a free and democratic society
  • Describe a strategy to ensure that diversity of religion, ethnicity, and way of life in the district are not violated
  • Formulate a plan to coordinate social, health, and other community agencies to support each child in the district
Integrating, Implementing, and measuring the Standards
The Commission realizes that few if any aspiring or practicing superintendents will develop complete mastery of all eight of these standards.  In reality, the standards should be used as a guide for ongoing professional development for anyone preparing for or currently holding a superintendency or other central office position.

These guidelines were freely lifted from the following:
Molalla River "BoardWatch" Website - suggested readings from the NJDOE website.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

February 28: Board Meeting Updates: The Budget

Dr. Carlisle is back. Only 5 community members were in attendance. We expected to see a budget, but we did not. What we did see was an Election/Budget Checklist* Dr. Carlisle showed a power point where he corrected some misinformation given in last Thursdays State of the District's Library Media Centers. It seems the number of books to students was not reported properly. It seems we are more aligned to the National Average (of 20 to 1) than was reported in the presentation. 

Dr. Carlisle also mentioned that class size would have to change for next year. This was very interesting since this board of education hired the staff that made the district overstaffed. They were not forced to hire all of the new teachers. Dr. Carlisle merely recommended them. They approved and did the hiring that put us in the situation that we are facing right now. Many of the new hires were told when presented to the Board that they quite possibly were not going to be rehired. The knew they were taking a job for one year only.

Bells and Whistles - Dr. Carlisle spoke about bells and whistles and how we would have to adopt a simpler plan for the future. A lot of credit was given to the Board in that they are trying to streamline the Budget. Well, they do not get accolades here. Those of us who were in attendance on certain occasions have noticed the change in Dr. Carlisle since he arrived. He did make too many promises to too many people. He was allowed. That change came because of what he is mandated to do by our board of education. We have watched them waste money much too often. They  have placed the district in the situation that we now face. It was NOT encouraging to hear Dr. Carlisle suggest that the new BA has been working closely with the Board to formulate a budget. At least 2 of the most powerful Board members have been there too long. They are in charge of Finance, Academics and Facilities. They are a large part of the problem. If we must depend on them to help with the Budget, we are doomed. I hope that the New BA will call upon an entity that should have been used long ago to help with the budget and other very important matters.

More Waste - We paid the New Jersey School Boards Association $26,000.00 last year for services that we did not use. I contacted the NJSBA to find out why we paid them this money. The answer was that the amount represented the annual dues and that these dues are based on the number of students in the district and must be paid even if we do not use their services.  I was given a list of services that are provided by the New Jersey School Board Association. After further investigation, I learned that we have not used the services of the NJSBA since before Dr. John Grieco was made Superintendent. The kids always referred to Dr. Grieco as GANGSTA. Well, the gangsta is no longer here and we want our board of education to follow the law. It is evident that the Board needs the counsel, services and the proper direction provided by the New Jersey School Boards Association. We are paying for the services and support and we want them utilized. 

NJSBA - Our board is mandated to have a liaison to the New Jersey School Boards Association. (18A:6-45, 46,47,48) Most towns have a Delegate and an alternate. Candidates for School Boards and Board Members.

What is the difference between the Englewood Public School District and the ones listed below? Easy, they follow the laws of the state of New Jersey. They use the services for which the taxpayers in their districts pay. They all have active liaisons/Delegates to the NJSBA.  We must demand that our board does the same. It is the Law. We do have recourse if they refuse.

Teaneck, the Delegate is the School Board President, 
Dr. Ardie Walser and the alternate is Dr. Henry Pruitt
Bergenfield School District
http://www.bergenfield.org/domain/14

Mountainside School  District
http://www.mountainsideschools.org/index.php/boe/members
Marlboro Township
http://www.marlboro.k12.nj.us/board.cfm?subpage=7305
West Windsor - Plainsboro Regional School District
http://www.ww-p.org/about_us/board_of_education/board_committees/
http://www.ww-p.org/about_us/board_of_education/board_members/richard_kaye/
Fairfield School District
http://www.fpsk6.org/FairfieldBoardMember
New Brunswick Public Schools
http://www.nbps.k12.nj.us/boardofeducation/board_directory_committees_2011-2012.pdf
Washington Township Public Schools
http://wtps.org/boe/index.html
hunterdon Central Regional
http://www.hcrhs.k12.nj.us/about-hc/board-of-education/board-committees/index.aspx


http://www.njasa.net/domain/7
New Jersey Association of School Administrators - We hope our Administrators are active members in this organization also.


Important 2012 School Board Candidacy & Election Dates
http://www.njsba.org/candidacy/importantdates.pdf

                                           How are the children?