Borough Schools continue to earn low ranking

[admin]

Deep in the archives of this web site, we have visited the site "Great schools ratings." It is one that is used by real estate professionals as well as parents doing research on a possible school district. Here are some general excerpts from the site:

What do Great Schools Ratings tell me? Our ratings provide an overview of a school's test performance by comparing the school's state standardized test results to those of other schools in the state. Ratings are given for each grade and student category (gender, ethnicity or other student group) for which test results are available. Keep in mind that when comparing schools using Great Schools Ratings, it's important to factor in other information, including the quality of each school's teachers, the school culture, special programs, etc

Why don't private schools have Great Schools Ratings? Private schools are not required to publicly report test results, so they do not have Great Schools Ratings


For more questions about the site and how it rates schools, visit

www.greatschools.org/cgi-bin/showarticle/1023#1

Ratings are done by the site with a one to ten star system. Parents can rate the school with a one to five star rating.

Park Ave. elementary

This school scores a three out of ten stars from the site. Parents have given the school a three out of five stars.

www.greatschools.org/new-jersey/freehold/Freehold-Borough-School-District/

The Freehold Learning Center

www.greatschools.org/new-jersey/freehold/623-Freehold-Learning-Center-Elementary-School/

This school also gets a three out of five from parents. It does score lower with an abysmal two out of ten starts from the site.

Park Ave. Middle Schools

www.greatschools.org/new-jersey/freehold/624-Intermediate-Middle-School/

This school gets zero stars from parents and a whopping three out of ten stars from the site.


Freehold Township Schools

The township schools by comparison have an eight out of ten stars from the site.


The Great schools web site does have a lot more to it. The above is just a recap. Take the time to explore it. It is also very possible for educators and parents to add info about their schools in order to improve perception. Can we get that five out of ten stars to at least break even?

[dfx]

Admin -

While I applaud your efforts to distribute information, I think it's imperative that you report responsibly. Case in point:

The title and accompanying story of this posting is misleading in that it infers these rankings are based on statistical facts rather than opinion. It also fails to recognize that some of the parental opinion postings are quite old. By omitting certain facts & failing to mention that this ranking has no scientific basis, you're adding further fuel to the misconception that the Borough's schools are inadequate. (Now if you're report were to include the latest statistical data & even take the step of comparing it with similar districts in the state, you'd actually see that the Borough's schools are quite good. But I digress...) The fact of the matter is that as a quasi-journalist, you have a responsibility to your readers to report in an unbiased manner. I've called you out on this before during this year's elections and until you do so this site will continue to lose readership. (Which has nothing to do with the perceived threat of facebook.)

Now if you'd really like to learn more about the Freehold Borough School District for yourself, I would love for you to contact me. I will gladly set-up a tour of any school in our district and you can see for yourself how all of our taxpayer dollars are being spent. I can also review our latest testing results and have a feeling that you may just have a change of heart once you find out what's really going on...


Dan Xavier

[Mike Rosseel]

Dan,

Let me start by saying IM NOT ATTACKING YOU OR MISREADING! Can you actually get the information to were our schools do rank. I think alot of people, myself included, arent sure how our schools are. You hear many opinions etc., but actual facts would be nice, can you provide that to us as a member of the board of Ed.?

[admin]

Dec 31, 2009 10:19:32 GMT -5 dfx said:

Admin -

While I applaud your efforts to distribute information, I think it's imperative that you report responsibly. Case in point:

The title and accompanying story of this posting is misleading in that it infers these rankings are based on statistical facts rather than opinion. It also fails to recognize that some of the parental opinion postings are quite old. By omitting certain facts & failing to mention that this ranking has no scientific basis, you're adding further fuel to the misconception that the Borough's schools are inadequate. (Now if you're report were to include the latest statistical data & even take the step of comparing it with similar districts in the state, you'd actually see that the Borough's schools are quite good. But I digress...) The fact of the matter is that as a quasi-journalist, you have a responsibility to your readers to report in an unbiased manner. I've called you out on this before during this year's elections and until you do so this site will continue to lose readership. (Which has nothing to do with the perceived threat of facebook.)

Now if you'd really like to learn more about the Freehold Borough School District for yourself, I would love for you to contact me. I will gladly set-up a tour of any school in our district and you can see for yourself how all of our taxpayer dollars are being spent. I can also review our latest testing results and have a feeling that you may just have a change of heart once you find out what's really going on...


Dan Xavier

In my own bazaar little way, I think I may wind up agreeing with you on a couple things, Dan.

First point, it is very cool for you call call me out for lack of info. I can respect that. I am even going to ask you to make me look that much more foolish by posting stats that show us some good news. To do so, would add a real nice touch.

Also, if I left info from that site out, it was because there is so much there. I did hone in a on a few points, but did invite readers to look at the site closer. I do that so they can make up their own minds.

I will question one statement you made....Now if you're report were to include the latest statistical data & even take the step of comparing it with similar districts in the state, you'd actually see that the Borough's schools are quite good.

Unfortunately, I am not sure people will compare us with similar districts. It depends on who is comparing , but in the case of people looking to move to the area, they will compare us to the area. That is a fairly minor point, lets get back to your bigger point about perception.

Believe it or not, perception of the schools is largely the point I am going with here. I started the post with the following....

Deep in the archives of this web site, we have visited the site "Great schools ratings." It is one that is used by real estate professionals as well as parents doing research on a possible school district. Here are some general excerpts from the site:

This establishes a fact that the site is out there, being read and not reflecting us well. I ended my post with this:

The Great schools web site does have a lot more to it. The above is just a recap. Take the time to explore it. It is also very possible for educators and parents to add info about their schools in order to improve perception. Can we get that five out of ten stars to at least break even?

I clearly mentioned the ability of people to change the perception for the better. The question is, will anyone do it? ( didn't we just have the same conversation about this site?) My last line was a bit sarcastic, but meant as a friendly challenge.


Dan, I appreciate your offer to contact you. I may just do that. Please keep one thing in mind, when you read my posts about the schools, I do not believe I have said much, if ever, in the negative about the schools staff and BOE. I was in the first Citizens academy class, which was terrific, and well worth my time. I have nothing but the highest respect for the people working for the schools and I have heard a lot of great feedback over the years from parents about the school staff.

BTW, I am happy to report that this site visitation has been going up. December is the highest month since May of this year. We are even doing better than during the election. All despite that darn facebook.

[dfx]

Mike -

I will do you one better: rather than simply posting the statistics here (which will be posted as soon as they are made public in a few short weeks), I invite you - along with every member of the Freehold Borough community - to join us at the next board of education meeting taking place at the Freehold Learning Center on January 11th at 7pm. Find out for yourselves the challenges we as a district face & learn about the successes we continue to have. Ask questions - get involved. Don't simply lament about things, help us make things better! I also invite you to take me up on my offer of touring the Borough's schools so you can see firsthand where your & my tax dollars are going.



dan xavier


PS. I've also heard quite a few people complain that they feel their voice isn't heard during public meetings. My recommendation is to e-mail your questions to a school board member prior to a meeting so an answer can be researched & provided during the actual meeting. (My e-mail is not hard to find considering it's published on the district's website!) Remember my job as a school board member is twofold: to provide our students with the best possible education & to look out for the taxpayers best interests!

[dfx]

Dec 31, 2009 13:56:58 GMT -5 admin said:

Dec 31, 2009 10:19:32 GMT -5 dfx said:

Admin -

While I applaud your efforts to distribute information, I think it's imperative that you report responsibly. Case in point:

The title and accompanying story of this posting is misleading in that it infers these rankings are based on statistical facts rather than opinion. It also fails to recognize that some of the parental opinion postings are quite old. By omitting certain facts & failing to mention that this ranking has no scientific basis, you're adding further fuel to the misconception that the Borough's schools are inadequate. (Now if you're report were to include the latest statistical data & even take the step of comparing it with similar districts in the state, you'd actually see that the Borough's schools are quite good. But I digress...) The fact of the matter is that as a quasi-journalist, you have a responsibility to your readers to report in an unbiased manner. I've called you out on this before during this year's elections and until you do so this site will continue to lose readership. (Which has nothing to do with the perceived threat of facebook.)

Now if you'd really like to learn more about the Freehold Borough School District for yourself, I would love for you to contact me. I will gladly set-up a tour of any school in our district and you can see for yourself how all of our taxpayer dollars are being spent. I can also review our latest testing results and have a feeling that you may just have a change of heart once you find out what's really going on...


Dan Xavier

In my own bazaar little way, I think I may wind up agreeing with you on a couple things, Dan.

First point, it is very cool for you call call me out for lack of info. I can respect that. I am even going to ask you to make me look that much more foolish by posting stats that show us some good news. To do so, would add a real nice touch.

Also, if I left info from that site out, it was because there is so much there. I did hone in a on a few points, but did invite readers to look at the site closer. I do that so they can make up their own minds.

I will question one statement you made....Now if you're report were to include the latest statistical data & even take the step of comparing it with similar districts in the state, you'd actually see that the Borough's schools are quite good.

Unfortunately, I am not sure people will compare us with similar districts. It depends on who is comparing , but in the case of people looking to move to the area, they will compare us to the area. That is a fairly minor point, lets get back to your bigger point about perception.

Believe it or not, perception of the schools is largely the point I am going with here. I started the post with the following....

Deep in the archives of this web site, we have visited the site "Great schools ratings." It is one that is used by real estate professionals as well as parents doing research on a possible school district. Here are some general excerpts from the site:

This establishes a fact that the site is out there, being read and not reflecting us well. I ended my post with this:

The Great schools web site does have a lot more to it. The above is just a recap. Take the time to explore it. It is also very possible for educators and parents to add info about their schools in order to improve perception. Can we get that five out of ten stars to at least break even?

I clearly mentioned the ability of people to change the perception for the better. The question is, will anyone do it? ( didn't we just have the same conversation about this site?) My last line was a bit sarcastic, but meant as a friendly challenge.


Dan, I appreciate your offer to contact you. I may just do that. Please keep one thing in mind, when you read my posts about the schools, I do not believe I have said much, if ever, in the negative about the schools staff and BOE. I was in the first Citizens academy class, which was terrific, and well worth my time. I have nothing but the highest respect for the people working for the schools and I have heard a lot of great feedback over the years from parents about the school staff.

BTW, I am happy to report that this site visitation has been going up. December is the highest month since May of this year. We are even doing better than during the election. All despite that darn facebook.

Admin -

As I alluded to in my posting to Mike, the statistics that I'm referring to will be made public shortly and I'm sure that you will post it here somewhere when they hit the papers. One of the biggest problems we have as a district is the failure to alert the public of our positive accomplishments, but that will soon be corrected...

That aside, I just want to clarify a statement I made earlier so everyone's totally clear on this point: similar districts must be examined in order to properly evaluate the Freehold Borough School District. Freehold Township schools - though sharing a similar name and close proximity - are definitely not a fair comparison. (i.e. the township's distinct has a much larger school budget and substantially higher per household income.)


dan xavier

[admin]

Freehold In New Jersey reports some bad news about the schools.....

All three Freehold Borough public schools, including the Freehold Learning Center, Park Avenue School, and the Intermediate School failed to pass the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) measure which tests students' reading and math proficiency under the No Child Left Behind Act........

For the full story...

freehold.injersey.com/2010/01/14/all-freehold-borough-3-frhsd-and-2-township-schools-miss-yearly-progress-goals/

[admin]

Jan 14, 2010 16:51:49 GMT -5 admin said:

Freehold In New Jersey reports some bad news about the schools.....

All three Freehold Borough public schools, including the Freehold Learning Center, Park Avenue School, and the Intermediate School failed to pass the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) measure which tests students' reading and math proficiency under the No Child Left Behind Act........

For the full story...

freehold.injersey.com/2010/01/14/all-freehold-borough-3-frhsd-and-2-township-schools-miss-yearly-progress-goals/

Here is a broader story that puts the initial report in a bigger perspective.....

www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/01/more_than_800_nj_schools_did_n.html

More than 800 N.J. schools failed to meet No Child Left Behind standards
By Star-Ledger Staff
January 14, 2010, 7:35PM
TRENTON -- As New Jersey continues to raise the bar for students, public schools are struggling to meet the new expectations: More than 36 percent of schools where students were tested last year failed to meet federal goals for performance on standardized tests, according to data released today by the state Department of Education.

More than 800 public schools in New Jersey did not meet the targets set under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, an increase of about 150 schools from 2008, when almost 71 percent hit the mark. In all, students in 2,200 schools were tested last year.


State officials said the increase was largely due to New Jersey’s ongoing efforts to improve academic standards, and the decision to raise the bar last year on tests for elementary grades to require students to earn a higher score to pass. In addition, increasing percentages of children are required to be proficient on the tests in order to meet the federal targets, and make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), according to the Department of Education.

“ ... We in New Jersey have been raising our academic standards and increasing the rigor of our tests,” Assistant Commissioner Barbara Gantwerk said in a statement. “We have very high expectations here.”

The data released today was part of the state’s annual report on how New Jersey schools are doing under No Child Left Behind, which requires that every school reach pre-established achievement goals in 40 categories. Included in that, subgroups of students, broken down by things such as race, income and special needs, must all meet the target.

AP Photo/Rick BowmerA student takes a math test in a file photo.
Districts can fail to meet the federal target because of a relatively small number of test scores.

“It is ... important to remember that a school may miss only one indicator and not make AYP ... it is important to look at the entire picture of a school,” Gantwerk said. “Some may have very specific areas in which there are problems and others may have more pervasive problems.”

There were also encouraging signs among the reams of data released. In 2008. the state made its test for fifth graders more rigorous, and the percentage of fifth graders passing plummeted. But last year, fifth graders reversed that trend. Nearly 66 percent passed the language arts exam, compared to 60 percent in 2008. Some 77 percent passed the math test, compared to 76 percent in 2008.

In addition, increased percentages of eighth graders passed math and language arts tests last year. Results for 11th graders were mixed, with passing grades on the language arts test increasing, but math scores dropping slightly.

School officials across the state sifted through their own test scores to assess the meaning. In Millburn, Superintendent Richard Brodow said the middle school missed the goal by just a point.
“We’re taking corrective steps to further help the kids,” said Brodow, noting the district was in the same position a few years ago. “We expect we’ll be fine next year.”

While the federal government calls for corrective action once a school has missed the mark two years in a row, making it a “School in Need of Improvement,” New Jersey also has an “Early Warning List” of schools that have missed just once. No specific sanctions come into play yet.
Hunterdon Central Regional High School in Flemington, landed on the Early Warning List for the first time after failing to reach the profiency mark in language arts, among special education students, Superintendent Lisa Brady said.

“As the bar continues to be raised under No Child Left Behind, we knew there was going to be a point where the bottom is going to fall out,” Brady said. “It’s a challenge when we have students who have significant learning issues.”

Brady said the district would continue to work toward making all students proficient, using technology to engage them and diagnostic test data to help.

“I don’t think anybody wants to be on the early warning list or any list saying the school has not made the progress it should have with any students,” she said. “However, I do think there is an understanding that the challenges were going to become significant as the benchmarks continue to rise.”

In Elizabeth, several schools did not meet the targets but overall, students are making gains on standarized tests, said district spokesman Donald Goncalves,

“The superintendent wants us to be at 90 percent (proficient) by 2011,” Goncalves said. “We’re moving in that direction.”

For state test score data by district, visit the state Department of Education website.

By Kristin Alloway and Jeanette M. Runquist/The Star-Ledger