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PEQUANNOCK - Schools improvement plan progressing
(by April Plantamura - Staff Writer - May 25, 2008)
PEQUANNOCK - District superintendent Dr. Larrie Reynolds and principals from all three of the district’s elementary schools recently presented their seventh quarter reports, which showed significant progress and positive goals for the future.
Dr. Reynolds has made it his goal to see all of the district’s schools reach number one ranking in the state in five years. Dr. Reynolds’ plan has been aptly named the Five-Year Plan and includes quarterly testing in each of the schools to help monitor the students’ progress. Some of the tests administered to students include Benchmark testing and Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI) tests. These quarterly exams have replaced midterms and finals at the high school.
Each of the district’s three elementary schools have seen an increase in their ranking in the state from 2006 to 2007. Stephen J. Gerace Elementary School has seen the greatest increase, moving from the 49th percentile into the 72nd. North Boulevard is currently in the 81st percentile in the state, with Hillview ranking in the 97th.
Principal at Hillview, Linda Thompson, invited any members of the school board or the public to visit the elementary school to see first hand all of the wonderful accomplishments the students are making. Staff members at Stephen J. Gerace (SJG) are also extremely excited about their students’ progress, attributing it to internal expertise and the sharing of information between teachers.
“Faculty meetings provide time for professional development and conversations relating to best practices for teaching,” SJG principal Dr. Gina Verrone said.
Pequannock Valley Middle School (PV) is currently ranked in the 71st percentile in the state for scoring advanced proficient on the quarterly exams. Students at Pequannock Township High School (PTHS) are currently in the 69th percentile in the state for scoring advanced proficient, which is a five-percent increase from last year.
“Our schools appear to be on track,” Dr. Reynolds said. “We are looking good at PV and we still have some work to do at the high school.”
Dr. Reynolds reported that the Benchmark Test results in the district for Language Arts show that the number of advanced proficient performances across all of the schools is almost identical in this school year to what it was in 2006. Math skills across the district have also seen vast improvement during the seventh quarter.
“Three hundred thirty-two students, or 57 percent, of all students scored advanced proficient during the quarter,” Dr. Reynolds said. “Twenty-nine percent of district students moved up to the advance performance category.”
With the second year of Dr. Reynolds’ Five-Year Plan coming to an end, the next school year will be focused on making progress at PTHS. Dr. Reynolds reported some improvements made at the high school during the seventh quarter, but said he is looking forward to making even greater strides in the future.
Grade nine saw a 12-percent increase in advanced proficient scores in both math and Language Arts, with tenth grade students seeing a 21-percent increase in math and a 16-percent increase in Language Arts.
But even as focus shifts to PTHS for the 2008-09 school year the elementary school principals that were present at the Monday night meeting of the school board were very positive and enthusiastic about helping their students to continue their progress.
“We are planning to increase active learning, rigor and relevance methodology, as well as focused instruction on essential learning,” Thompson said. “We would also like to create an expansive and inclusive technology program and implement a writing workshop program. We are excited to continue with the work we have been doing.”
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