State of the District

State of the District Dr. Alex Anemone Superintendent of Schools February 24, 2014

Board of Education • Mr. Dev Modi – President • Mr. John Flynn – Vice President • Mr. DavorGjivoje • Mrs. Kim Macaulay • Mr. Jim Novotny

2013-2014 District Goal • To develop a student dashboard and use the data to improve the instructional process.

Narrative • Harding Township School (HTS) is one of the premier PK-8 school districts in New Jersey. We have two buildings (PK-4; 5-8) situated on a picturesque 40+ acre campus. Our students in grades 9-12 attend Madison High School. • HTS students receive high-quality instruction in a full range of academic subjects, visual and performing arts and social and emotional learning. Technology is ubiquitous and integrated at all grade levels. Moreover, co-curricular activities including athletics and clubs are available to students. • Small class size is a constant and personal relationships are strong. • The Parent Teacher Organization and Harding Township Education Foundation provide valuable cultural experiences and funding for special programs, projects and field trips. • We are proud of our students, teachers and parents and the success we have had at HTS in creating lifelong learners and celebrating educational excellence in a safe and secure learning environment.

New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge • Annual assessment for students in grades 3-8 in math and English language arts (ELA). Science is also assessed in grades 4 and 8. • Final year of the NJASK is this current school year - May. • Students placed into three categories • Advanced Proficient 250-300 • Proficient 200-249 • Partially Proficient <200 • New multi-state assessment beginning next school year (2014-2015) will be the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC).

NJASK – Grade 3

Disaggregated Data

Student Mobility - NJASK • ELA: moving up 1/2 levels = 22 students • ELA: moving down 1/2 levels = 14 students • Difference = +8 students (positive growth) • MATH: moving up 1/2 levels = 35 students • MATH: moving down 1/2 levels = 24 students • Difference = +11 students (positive growth) • Key: 2013 NJASK compared to 2012 NJASK. • Advanced Proficient 250-300 • Proficient 200-249 • Partially Proficient <200

Student Growth Percentiles – Grade 4 • ELA Median SGP = 66 • High growth = 21 students • Typical growth = 10 students • Low growth = 8 students • MATH Median SGP = 46 • High growth = 14 students • Typical growth = 13 students • Low growth = 12 students

Student Growth Percentiles Highlights • ELA Average Median SGP = 58 • High growth = 72 students • Low growth = 45 students • Difference = +27 students (positive growth) • MATH Average Median SGP = 59 • High growth = 68 students • Low growth = 52 students • Difference = +16 students (positive growth)

School Performance Report • Introduced during 2012-2013 school year. Replaced School Report Card. Data lags by one year. • Not to be used “…to create a summative ranking of schools…” Rather the SPR provides “…data to present a more complete picture of school performance, with the ultimate aim of helping schools…” • SPR designed to help districts: • Focus • Benchmark • Improve

School Performance Report • Includes the concept of Peer Group – a consortium of 30 other schools with similar demographics, grade span, etc. • Between 2013 and 2014, 67% of our peer schools (20/30) have changed! • Categories: • Very High Performance: 80th -99th percentile • High Performance: 60th – 79.9th percentile • Average Performance: 40th – 59.9th percentile • Lagging Performance: 20th-39.9th percentile • Significantly Lagging Performance: below 20th percentile

School Performance Report • A “forced curve”. • Low Growth is defined as an SGP score of less than 35. • Typical Growth is defined as an SGP score between 35-65. • High Growth is defined as an SGP score higher than 65. • Please note: 35% of every category is designed to be “low growth.”

School Performance Report • Caveats: • Not all outcome data is normally distributed = skewed peer and statewide percentiles (forced curve/stacked rankings). • Small schools have smaller sample size and their year to year variances tend to be greater than larger schools. • Questionable to link attendance in a K-8 district to a vague concept of “college and career readiness”. • “Soft” data not included (culture, climate, co-curricular activities, class size, technology, etc.). • No VAPA (Visual and Performing Arts) data for K-8. • Despite the NJDOE’s warnings against using the SPR to rank and sort schools, this report is designed to do exactly that.

School Performance Report • Academic Achievement • Peer Percentile: 23 (lagging performance) • ELA 13 (significantly lagging performance) • Math 33 (lagging performance) • Statewide Percentile: 77 (high performance) • ELA 72 (high performance) • Math 82 ( very high performance) • Targets Met: 83% • Math – Students with Disabilities did not make Progress Target.

School Performance Report • Raw NJASK data comparing HTS students at the 25th, 50th and 75th percentiles vs. the statewide scores also at those percentiles. • Comparing the scores at the 25th and 75th percentiles gives you the Interquartile Range (IQR), a measurement of the range of abilities found in a school. Large gaps equal a wide range of outcomes and smaller gaps indicate a smaller range of outcomes.

School Performance Report • Grade 3 ELA HTS NJ • 75th 230 221 • 50th 218 204 • 25th 207 191 • IQR 23 30 • Grade 3 Math • 75th 286 264 • 50th 255 235 • 25th 235 201 • IQR 51 63

School Performance Report • College and Career Readiness • Peer Percentile: 47 (average performance) • Students taking Alg. 81 (very high performance) • Chronic Absenteeism 13 (significantly lagging performance) • Statewide Percentile: 68 (high performance) • Students taking Alg. 88 (very high performance) • Chronic Absenteeism 48 (average performance) • Targets Met: 50% • Chronic Absenteeism. 8% of HTS students were labeled chronically absent during the 12-13 school year. The target is 6%.

School Performance Report • 2011-2012: 12 students chronically absent • Pre-K = 2 students • K-8 = 10 students • 2012-2013: 24 students chronically absent • Pre-K = 8 students • K-8 = 16 students • 50% (6/12) of the increase year over year is represented by Pre-K attendance. The increase in chronically absent students K-8 was 6 students. • There is no student attendance component included in high school rankings on SPR.

School Performance Report • Student Growth • Peer Percentile: 72 (high performance) • ELA 68 (high performance) • Math 75 (high performance) • Statewide Percentile: 86 (very high performance) • ELA 87 (very high performance) • Math 84 (very high performance) • Targets Met 100%

School Performance Report • Student Growth – ELA • Adv. Proficient • High growth 6% • Typical growth 2% • Low growth 0% • Proficient • High growth 35% • Typical growth 21% • Low growth 17% • Part. Proficient: • High growth 3% • Typical growth 6% • Low growth 10%

School Performance Report • Student Growth – Math • Adv. Proficient • High growth 29% • Typical growth 9% • Low growth 5% • Proficient • High growth 12% • Typical growth 13% • Low growth 13% • Part. Proficient: • High growth 1% • Typical growth 4% • Low growth 13%

Measures of Academic Progress • A formative, online assessment given to students in grades 2-8. • Students in grade 2 take the MAP in math and reading. • Students in grades 3-8 take the MAP in math, reading and language usage. • Data is provided to students/parents/teachers in real time. • MAP data is from October 2013. • MAP will be administered in March 2014

Measures of Academic Progress • Students are provided with a raw score (RIT) than can be compared to their peers at HTS as well as to their peers nationwide. • Student Progress Reports are sent home to parents. • Teachers review more detailed reports (DesCartes: A Continuum of Learning) and use data to inform their instructional strategies (differentiation).

Measures of Academic Progress – Grade 2

Otis-Lennon School Ability Test • Administered in grade 3 in spring – about 45 minutes. • OLSAT Eighth Edition – Form D – Grade 3 • Verbal Comprehension • Verbal Reasoning • Pictorial Reasoning • Figural Reasoning • Quantitative Reasoning

Otis-Lennon School Ability Test • Score reports: • National Age Percentile Bands. • National Grade Percentile Bands. • Cluster Reports for Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning and Comprehension.

Otis-Lennon School Ability Test • Spring 2013 administration: • 31 students • Mean score: 111.4 • Standard Deviation: 13.4 • Range: 88-138 (almost 4 full standard deviations!) • 90th Percentile: 127.5 • 75th Percentile: 119.8 • 50th Percentile (Median): 112.5 • 25th Percentile: 100.3 • 10th Percentile 90.5

Data Analysis • Median SGP (mSGP) was high for both ELA and Math. This means our students grew more than their peers. • Advanced Proficient students “pulling away” from Partially Proficient students in both ELA and Math. AP students “growing” at a more rapid pace than PP students. • IQR (Inter Quartile Range) indicates a wide range of abilities in different grades. • This indicates that a continued emphasis on differentiated instruction is needed.

Data Analysis • Narrowed “gaps” when compared to “J” districts. Improvements ranged from 0.1% to 13.1%. • Above J Districts in two areas – Grade 3 Math and Grade 4 Science. • Increased number of “Perfect 300” scores in Math from 0 in 2012 to 14 in 2013. • Mean scores in Grade 3 Math and Grade 4 Science were over 250 – Advanced Proficient.

State of the District