A pat on the back

VERNON — The Vernon Township School District received word from the New Jersey State Department of Education on Jan. 30 that it has been designated as a “high performing” district. The state’s monitoring system, the Quality Single Accountability Continuum or QSAC, is the tool used to evaluate the performance and efficiency of public schools. Using the continuum, the state places schools on it based upon an evaluation in five critical areas: instruction and program, fiscal management, operations, personnel and governance.

Since its initial placement in the district performance review in April of 2010, Vernon has grown by 12 percentage points in instruction and program. Having already scored 91 percent in the domains of fiscal management and having already achieved perfect scores in the categories of operations, personnel and governance, the district needed to show growth in the area of instruction and program during the interim review placement held this January. And it did.

“The high performing designation is acknowledgement of all the hard work the entire school community has put forth in helping our students perform to the levels of which we know they are capable,” says Barbara Linkenheimer, assistant superintendent. She says she knows, however, that with the designation comes responsibility. “Although we still have growth areas, it is rewarding to see recognition for all of the district’s hard work.”

Even though the review process takes into account the curriculum and instructional practices of all content areas, heavy emphasis is placed on math and language arts. District performance review indicators based on results of state assessments — including the New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge (NJASK) given to third- through eighth-graders and the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA) in 11th grade. The Vernon district accrued additional points during the interim review placement for meeting the current district definition of adequately yearly progress in language arts and math.

“A tremendous amount of work has gone into improving our instruction and programs in the past year and a half," said Dr. John B. Alfieri, Vernon's Superintendent of Schools. "We have a lot more work to do in certain grade levels and with certain cohorts of students to ensure that the way our students perform reflects the great things that are going on in our classrooms.”

What's new A big focus this year has been the implementation of full-day kindergarten and taking a look at how to more seamlessly transition students to fifth- and ninth-grades.

“I know that by using the plethora of talent we have in district and by sustaining our current efforts, Vernon will keep taking progressive steps in the right direction," Alfieri said. "I am beyond pleased that the state has recognized these steps.”