Plainfield ELL’s Meet AMAO for Growth in English Language Proficiency

Each year in the spring all ELL’s (English Language Learners) are required to take the ACCESS for ELL’s English language proficiency test. This test reflects the achievement of limited English proficient students in meeting the State’s Title III Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives (AMAO). Students’ scores are compared from the previous year’s performance on the test. Each year the target percent to meet increases by 5% and by the year 2013-14 100% of ELL’s must indicate that they are improving.

The two objectives the district must meet each year are:
· Percent of ELL’s that make progress in learning English
· Percent of ELL’s attaining English proficiency and Exiting language assistance programs within a defined timeframe

The target percent for ELL making progress/exiting language assistance programs this year was 75%

District wide ELL’s attained 79% in making progress.

District wide exiting language assistance programs:

Grades K-4 96.8%
Grades 5-12 90.7%

Separating Fact from Fiction: The Certification Process

The seeking of truth and gathering of facts are not always easy. Many times the different versions of an event make it difficult for even the most open-minded to determine the difference between fact and fiction. In most instances, it comes down to one’s ability to gather and look at all types of information and draw his/her conclusions. That is where, in the information age, it gets tricky and where the truth about things remain hidden or are difficult to determine.

Take the recent matter involving questions regarding the certification of employees. In order to understand the matter fully, one would have to understand the employment and certification process. The process, which is based on the requirements under 18A:26-2a in which fall under three categories: Instructional, Educational Services, and Administrative. In addition, there are 4 types of certificates: Certificate of Eligibility (CE); Certificate of Eligibility with Advanced Standing (CEAS); Provisional Certificate; and Standard Certificate. All allow an employee to seek and accept employment.

At the local level, such as in Plainfield, the process is as such:

· A person applies for a position within the District. Certification requirements, consistent with State Provisions and Board Policy, usually read that the candidate must “possess or be eligible for” a particular certificate.

· A person accepts a position providing that the District reviews his/her qualifications and determines that he/she either “possesses or is eligible for” the position that they applied

· A list of “Monthly New Hire Report” for certificated staff is submitted to the County Superintendent’s Office for review of certification, qualifications, etc.

· The applicant’s identity is verified based on I-9 regulations.

· The applicant pays for and submits to fingerprinting and a background check conducted not by the local district, but an outside state approved agency

· A district can request an “Emergent Hire Form” if necessary which enables an employee to be quickly employed for up to 90 days

· The applicant’s application for certification is in the hands of the NJDOE for review. Required information or additional documentation is requested through their office.

· The applicant would then receive his/her first of three certificates, the Certificate of Eligibility. This is a legal certificate from the State of New Jersey. The timeframe for which this may be issued by the State may vary and range from within a month, to in some extreme instances, over a year. The Certificate of Eligibility is valid for life.

· The applicant would then receive a second certificate which is the Provisional Certificate. This certificate may require additional experiences ranging from residency to mentoring, and usually gives the applicants up to two years to satisfy any additional requirements.

· The final certificate the applicant, who I forgot is now an employee and may have been one for nearly two years, is the Standard Certificate. This is the final certificate and is also valid for life.

There are also ways in which a person can apply for a New Jersey certificate through reciprocity. Reciprocity is for out-of-state candidates and is permissible under N.J.A.C. 6A:9-8.8. There are 7 different options under the reciprocity option and process ranging from issuing a certificate to a teacher that had only one year of teaching experience and an initial certificate from another state, to a teacher that holds National Board Certification and a certificate from another state.

The Plainfield Public Schools has and implements policies and procedures that are in agreement with laws and codes regarding certification. If, however, there is a delay, perceived delay, or significant delay while the process is in the “hands” of the State, the issuance of a certificate can also be delayed. That does not mean that the applicant or the district has not complied or satisfied the process, it could mean a number of things from a missing or lost document or complete file, to a signature, to a test score. Each applicant’s situation can vary.

Details of this process, as well as a review of Law, Code, and Board Policy were provided to the Public on January 5, 2010. Board President Lenny Cathcart, Policy Chair Christian Estevez, and HR Chair Martin P. Cox coordinated this meeting along with Dr. Steve Gallon III, Superintendent of Schools, to review current policy and procedures, and accurately inform the Public. There are ongoing efforts to review and improve in this, as in many areas.

The status of the applicant’s certification application can be accessed only by the applicant or authorized district personnel. In sum, the certification of staff involves a sometimes long and complex process that involves the district, County, and the State. The Plainfield Public Schools remains committed to effectively implementing the steps required by Law and Code, and ensuring that all required staff are appropriately certified and highly qualified to meet the needs of the District and students.

This information was intended to help separate facts from fiction. Hope that it was helpful. To read and learn more about laws and codes on this topic log on to: http://www.state.nj.us/education/code/current/title6a/chap9.pdf or http://www.state.nj.us/education/educators/license/overview/.

Haiti: Horror, Help, & Hope

Tens of thousands feared dead as Haiti was struck by a magnitude 7.0 on January 12, 2010. Many buildings near the capital have collapsed due to poor construction and the capital is largely destroyed. The earthquake is the country’s worst in over 200 years.

Tuesday's earthquake brought down buildings great and small — from shacks in shantytowns to President Rene Preval's gleaming white National Palace, where a dome tilted ominously above the manicured grounds.

Hospitals, schools and the main prison collapsed. The capital's Roman Catholic archbishop was killed when his office and the main cathedral fell. The head of the U.N. peacekeeping mission was missing in the ruins of the organization's multistory headquarters.

The situation in Haiti is “truly heart wrenching” in a nation that is “no stranger to hardship and suffering,” President Obama said at a press conference Wednesday. The disaster is the latest to befall the country of about 9 million people, roughly the size of Maryland.

It is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and among the poorest in the world.

Hurricane Gordon killed more than 1,000 people in 1994, while Hurricane Georges killed more than 400 and destroyed the majority of the country's crops in 1998. And in 2004, Hurricane Jeanne killed more than 3,000 people as it passed north of Haiti, with most of the deaths in the northwestern city of Gonaives.

Gonaives was hit heavily again in 2008, when four tropical systems passed through.

In addition, a Haitian school collapsed in November 2008, killing more than 90 people and injuring 150 -- a disaster authorities blamed on poor construction.

Eighty percent of Haiti's population lives under the poverty line, according to the CIA World Factbook.

Despite the badly damaged road of the airport, planes carrying aid from the UN are expected to arrive in Port-au-Prince this morning. American President Obama promised a “swift and aggressive” effort including rescue workers and humanitarian aid as part of a coordinated international response.

Despite the horror, help is coming Haiti. When communities, nations, and members of the human race come together to help those in sufferring and less fortunate, there is hope.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the people and country of Haiti.

For information on how to help:
http://www1.networkforgood.org/help-haiti-quake-relief?source=YAHOO&cmpgn=NEWS

Obama Funds New Education Initiative: Race to the Top

It's called "Race to the Top."

It is President Obama's $4.35 billion "carrot" for improving education in the U.S. and is prompting states to adopt a handful of key educational reforms. Education Commissioner Lucille Davy recently announced that New Jersey will apply and compete for additional federal education funds.

Tucked into the $110 billion federal stimulus slated for education, a comparatively tiny grant known as the "Race to the Top" will require states that want the money to commit to closing historic achievement gaps and getting more kids into college. States, however, must deal with the details that President Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan believe are important. Such details include:
•Tying teacher and principal pay – and school assignments – to student test scores.
•Adopting internationally benchmarked academic standards.
•Turning around their lowest-performing schools.
•Building long-term student tracking systems.
•Loosening legal caps on the number of charter schools that states allow each year.

Many states over the past few months have been scrambling to rewrite laws governing these systems. Many states moved to raise or get rid of caps on publicly funded but privately run charter schools. California Governor Arnold Swartzeneger even called a special legislative session last August to state lawmakers into repealing a law that prohibited districts from linking teacher pay to student test performance. It reportedly passed and he later signed it into law.

Back to New Jersey. Two weeks before the deadline to apply for up to $400 million in federal "Race to the Top" education reform aid, Commissioner Davy announced details of the New Jersey's proposed plan that would bring state-of-the-art data systems to schools, tie teacher evaluations more closely to student academic growth and include plans for turning around, or closing, poorly-performing schools.

States must have support from stakeholders including superintendents, school boards and teachers unions.

However, the New Jersey Education Association, which represents 200,000 members, declared the state's plan "flawed in numerous areas," and said the teachers union would recommend local unions do not sign.

The specific objection was to the provisions that tie teacher pay and evaluations to student performance, and ones that could lengthen the school day in poorly-performing districts.
School districts have until January 14,2010 to decide if they will enter the "Race to the Top" in New Jersey.

To read further please link on the following: http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/01/nj_education_commissioner_unve.html

PPS Reduces District Audit Findings!

Each year, public, private, and governmental agencies go through an Annual Audit. The Plainfield Public Schools, as many public agencies views this as an opportunity to review and assess its financial picture, as well as make sure that appropriate steps are in place to comply with rules and regulations that deal with the proper management and accountability of the public trust.

Included with the many goals and metrics of the 2008-2012 District Strategic Plan, are strategies that will help ensure that funds in the Plainfield Public Schools are being used properly. Reducing audit findings is one way to make sure that the District is on the right financial track and that proper accountability measures are in place to safeguard district finances. Two years ago, the Plainfield Public Schools had 37 audit findings. This year, as a result of improved management and accountability strategies, the number of audit findings has been reduced to 12. This reduction of audit findings is an indication that the Plainfield Public Schools is moving in the right direction as it relates to the handling of its finances.

In tough economical times, it not only becomes important to find new and innovative ways to fund education, but to improve use and management of the funds that the public has committed toward educating students. Adhering to the rules and regulations of proper accounting and financial procedures will make sure the Plainfield Public Schools continues to exercise sound fiscal responsibility and accountability.