COURT HOUSE — There were smiles on faces of Middle Township Board of Education members Thursday, Nov. 20 as Dr. Theresa DeFranco proclaimed, “We are no longer a district in need of improvement.”
The onerous title saddled the district for several years under the federal no Child Left behind Law. The district worked tirelessly, teachers and administrators, to deliver new learning methods to pupils, including balanced literacy and math programs, which had apparent successes.
The necessary “annual yearly progress” was made to clear the stigma from the K-12 district, said DeFranco, assistant superintendent of Curriculum, Instruction & District-Wide Initiatives.
Work remains to be done. The high school “is a school in need of improvement due to results from special education population,” DeFranco reported.
In order to meet those needs, the district will develop a plan to provide greater support for special needs students in that school, she added.
The district will continue to use test results to tract instruction and support student growth.
Monitors will visit the district in December as part of the district quality standards.
The district is also submitting its pre-school expansion proposal to the state. That state mandate would affect both facilities and personnel, since it would expand kindergarten to all day.
It would possibly add 306 4-year-olds into the student population at Elementary No. 1 by 2013. That building, the district‘s oldest, which has been renovated numerous times, presently handles pre-K to second grades.
For high school students, the district has linked with Atlantic Cape Community College to provide 11 dual credit programs and concurrent enrollment.
DeFranco explained that, under that program, it would be possible for a graduating senior to have a year of college credits on high school graduation.
To assist students in that area, the district has established $11,077 in scholarships for those who are interested in attending ACCC as part of the above program, DeFranco said.
The district will continue to have its counselors work closely with their ACCC peers to provide “seamless transitions for our students,” she said.
The district will also explore opportunities to increase scholarship fund raising efforts, she concluded.
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