Press Release- HOLA ANNOUNCES ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNER PREFERENCE IN LOTTERY AND AN INCREASED CHANCE FOR LOW-INCOME STUDENTS

HoLa Dual Language School Classroom

The following is the official press release of the 2018 HoLa Dual Language Lottery. Of special note is the fact that HoLa continues to be a leader in both the City of Hoboken as well as across the State of New Jersey in terms of incorporating approved preferences for both ELL students (English Language Learners) as well as low-income students. This year the preference has been increased from 2 to 1 to 3 to 1. While these preferences do not assure enrollment, they increase the probabilities of being selected in the lottery substantially for ELL and low-income students. HoLa is the first pubic charter school in NJ to offer ELL and low-income preference in its lottery. 

  HoLa Lottery 2018 Press Release FINAL by Anthony Petrosino on Scribd

Hoboken High School's "Great Schools" December 2017 Analysis- Test Scores- (rank 2 out of 10): Very concerning: College Readiness (rank 3 out of 10): A worrisome sign; Equity Overview (rank 1 out of 10): Very concerning

Sometimes there is a need for objective, third party evaluation of a particular situation. This is especially true of schools and school systems. Administrators often paint glowing and overly positive portraits of the work they are conducting while pundits sometimes are criticized for being over zealous in their criticism. The public school district in Hoboken, NJ is one such example that we will look at today. Administrators claim progress while pundits claim systemic and chronic problems on many different levels including academics and equity. 

Great Schools is an independent organization and rates schools all over the country on a number of different areas that are important in terms of offering a quality educational experience for students and families. Great Schools ranks schools in 3 main areas: ACADEMICS, EQUITY, and ENVIRONMENT. Each of these areas have a number of subcategories. Specifically, ACADEMICS: test scores, college readiness, and student progress; EQUITY: equity overview, race/ethnicity, low income students, and students with disabilities; and ENVIRONMENT: students, discipline and attendance, teachers and staff, and neighborhood. The site generally ranks from 1-10 with 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest. The site also offers a brief objective and data driven narrative analysis. 

What follows is GREAT SCHOOLS latest assessment of Hoboken High School in Hoboken, NJ. The data is presented without commentary. And to reiterate, the data and narrative is compiled by an independent and objective 3rd party and is done for most schools (public and charter) across not only Hudson County, or New Jersey but across the entire country. 

HOBOKEN HIGH SCHOOL (as of December 2017): Overall Ranking is 2 out of 10 (where 10 is the highest)

ACADEMICS 
Test Scores- (rank 2 out of 10): Very concerning: Test scores at this school fall far below the state average. This suggests that students at this school are likely not performing at grade level.

College Readiness (rank 3 out of 10): A worrisome sign: This school is below the state average in key measures of college and career readiness. (Remember: high graduation rates don't mean much if students are graduating without the coursework and test scores they need to succeed.)

Student Progress (rank 2 out of 10): Very concerning: Students at this school are making far less academic progress given where they were last year, compared to similar students in the state. Very low progress with low test scores means students are starting at a low point and falling even farther behind their peers.

This rating measures how much students at this school improved from one year to the next, compared to students with similar proficiency levels at other schools in the state. 

EQUITY 
Equity Overview (rank 1 out of 10): Very concerning:  Disadvantaged students at this school may be falling far behind other students in the state, and this school may have large achievement gaps.

Race/Ethnicity: Various rankings-- see graphic below but a summary would be a ranking of 2 out of 10 for ALL students; a ranking of 2 out of 10 for HISPANIC students, a ranking of 1 out of 10 for BLACK students, and a ranking of 6 out of 10 for WHITE students. 

Low Income Students: (rank 2 out of 10): Very concerning:

Test scores for low income students at this school fall far below the state average for all students.

Hopefully this analysis will provide some information for those people attempting to make sense of the many different inputs they are receiving concerning the academic and equity issues at Hoboken High School in Hoboken, NJ. There is also plenty of data available at the New Jersey Department of Education's website. 

2017 Hoboken Public Schools District-Wide PARCC Scores by GRADE in Language Arts and Math- After Grade 5 Over 50% of the District Fails to Meet Passing Expectations

Cal's Hot Dogs at the corner of Newark and Harrison
Circa 1953

In September of 2017 the New Jersey Department of Education released the results of the 2017 PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College Careers) scores for all New Jersey schools and school districts. The test is given each spring to students in grades 3 through 11. Students receive scores ranging from 1 to 5 on the computerized tests. Those who score a 4 or a 5 are considered to be meeting the expectations of their grade level. Those scoring a 3 are "approaching" their grade level, while students earning a 1 or a 2 need significant improvement. 

Previously, 2017 PARCC data was presented by Grade and by School. The New Jersey Department of Education also presented District wide data which combines data from all schools by GRADE level. Presented here therefore is the 2017 Hoboken School District PARCC results for Grade 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11. So slight note is high school math is categorized by subject. Therefore, Math Grade 9 = Algebra I; Math Grade 10 = Geometry; and Math Grade 11 = Algebra II. This corresponds roughly with the grade these particular math classes are taken. 

Click to Enlarge 

Some interesting aspects of this data: 

1) After Grade 4, the District Wide passing rate for Mathematics in ANY grade never surpasses 20% and hits a low of 3% (!) in Geometry- Grade 10. 

2) After Grade 5 Reading (Language Arts), the District Wide passing rate for Reading in ANY grade never surpasses 50%. 

3) At no point in secondary school (Grades 9, 10, and 11) does the passing rate in Mathematics exceed 18%

These scores do not bode well for college readiness. In general, a College Ready student is an academically prepared student, ready for postsecondary education (college) or training without the need for remedial coursework. Its challenging to imagine the majority of students leaving the Hoboken School District satisfying this general definition of college readiness given the fact that over 60% of 11th graders are not passing Reading (Language Arts) and over 80% of Hoboken High Math students are not passing MATH expectations in Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry. 





Source Data

	Reading	Math
Grade 3	58.3	52.5
Grade 4	58.3	41.8
Grade 5	64.1	41.2
Grade 6	46.5	18.2
Grade 7	44.1	20.2
Grade 8	38.8	9.6
Grade 9	34.5	17.4
Grade 10	37.4	3
Grade 11	37.7	15.1

2017 PARCC Results for Hoboken School District: Grades 3 to 11 Reading (Language Arts) and Mathematics: Mixed Results in Early Grades; Middle School Scores Well Below 50% on Adequate Progress; College Readiness Measured by PARCC Scores Very Low in Hoboken High School

Hudson River- Hoboken January, 2018 

In September of 2017 the New Jersey Department of Education released the results of the 2017 PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College Careers) scores for all New Jersey schools and school districts. The test is given each spring to students in grades 3 through 11. Students receive scores ranging from 1 to 5 on the computerized tests. Those who score a 4 or a 5 are considered to be meeting the expectations of their grade level. Those scoring a 3 are "approaching" their grade level, while students earning a 1 or a 2 need significant improvement.

Data for the Hoboken School District will be presented in two different ways. First, by some quick to read charts (see Charts 1, 2, and 3 below) and second by a more detailed handout that can be viewed online or printed out for closer examination. There is more information in the handout than in the chart. For instance, in Charts 1, 2, and 3 only "passing" scores of 4 or 5 are represented. In the handout, percentages for each PARCC level (1, 2, 3, 4, or 5) in each grade (3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, ith, 9th, 10th, and 11th) in each school (Calabro, Connors, Wallace, Middle School, Hoboken High School) are presented along with DISTRICT scores.

There are a number of interesting findings that one sees only when data is presented in graphic or chart form. For instance, in Chart 1 we see some really interesting things:

• The disparity between Reading (Language Arts) and Mathematics within each school. This is especially evident in Connors 3rd Grade; Calabro 4th Grade, Calabro 5th Grade, and Calabro 8th Grade.

• The drop-off between Reading at Calabro from Grade 5 (100%) to Grade 6 (63%).

• Except for Connors Mathematics Grade 3, every elementary school at every grade tested scores at a higher percentage in Reading than Mathematics.

CLICK TO ENLARGE
Chart 1: 2017 Hoboken PARCC Scores by School Grades 3-6

In Chart 2 we see some really concerning things- primarily the overall low scores and especially the very low score in Grade 8 Mathematics. During the middle grades, students begin getting deeper and more complex content and effective pedagogy becomes critical. It should be noted that during the middle grades, students begin getting deeper and more complex content and effective pedagogy becomes critical. We will soon see how these scores play out in the high school but for now, here at the scores for Grade 7 and Grade 8 in Reading and Mathematics.

CLICK TO ENLARGE
Chart 2: 2017 Hoboken PARCC Scores Grades 7 and 8

In Chart 3 we see clearly some of the systemic and chronic failure of the Hoboken School District to adequately prepare students not only for college but arguably for future employment in our increasingly complex and STEM dominated world. Over 80% of the district students are not meeting the New Jersey Department of Education's expectations in Mathematics (Algebra 1, Algebra 2, and Geometry) and over 60% are not meeting the New Jersey Department of Education's expectations in Reading (Language Arts).

CLICK TO ENLARGE
Chart 3: 2017 Hoboken PARCC Scores Grades 9-11 (HHS)  

PARCC scores are not a perfect measure and certainly individual students who are not scoring a 4 or a 5 may still be learning and not necessarily be testing well. But educational leadership, educational policy, and educational administration demands looking at the big picture as well as the individual level. These latest PARCC results along with 7 years in a row of failed QSAC DPR's in INSTRUCTION AND PROGRAM are not independent of each other.  are I would encourage interested people to look at the more detailed handout of the 2017 PARCC results below. There is plenty of good and interesting data to be gleamed.

Summary: As we reflect on this Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, we need to begin to challenge the chronic and systemic issues our Black and Latino students and students from financially struggling families are facing in the Hoboken School District. A vast majority of the school district is demographically from under represented populations and qualify for Free or Reduced lunch. These students and their families have limited options and depend on public education more than any other group in the city for their future. Unfortunately, these PARCC results- most notably beginning in Grade 6- indicate that it is not any group or individual student who is failing. Rather, there appears to be a system wide failure taking place and no one is being held accountable or is taking responsibility at the school or district level. 

  Spring 2017 PARCC Results by School by Anthony Petrosino on Scribd

Hoboken School District Fails to Satisfy QSAC DPR for Instruction and Program for 7th Straight Year- Significant Lapse in Reporting Results to the Public

Brandt School - Hoboken, NJ

Summary: It has been approximately 7 months since the Hoboken School District received their latest QSAC placements and results still have not been widely reported to the public. The district failed the QSAC DPR in Instruction and Program for the 7th straight year.

Background: New Jersey districts must all undergo the Quality Single Accountability Continuum (QSAC). NJDOE staff review documents and analyze district performance against critical indicators in 5 QSAC areas. One of those areas, and I argue the most important, is INSTRUCTION AND PROGRAM. A score of 80% is seen as satisfying weighted indicators. While I was Assistant Superintendent, we were able to raise the QSAC score in INSTRUCTION AND PROGRAM from an initial score of 34% (a few months after we took over) to a high of 87%* in 2010 (after the HBOE approved the revised curriculum and the results of the 2009 state test scores were analyzed). 
* 2010 QSAC scores were based largely on academic year 2008-09 while I was Assistant Superintendent
However, after the 87% score in INSTRUCTION AND PROGRAM in April of 2010, the Hoboken School District has scored below 80% (failed) each year in the INSTRUCTION AND PROGRAM DPR (the district has passed the other 4 DPRs)

Perhaps more interesting is if you read the June 20, 2017 placement letter (below) you will read the following directly below the results: 

“Please be advised that QSAC regulations require your board of education to report these placement results at the next regularly scheduled board meeting.”  -June 20, 2017 NJDOE letter to the Superintendent

The first Hoboken Board of Education meeting after the placement letter was received was on June 27, 2017. A review of meeting agendas and televised meetings indicates the following: 

June 27, 2017- QSAC Results Not Presented to the Public as required    
July 25, 2017- QSAC Results Not Presented to the Public as required   
August 22, 2017- QSAC Results Not Presented to the Public as required  
September 12, 2017- QSAC Results Not Presented to the Public as required   
October 10, 2017- QSAC Results Not Presented to the Public as required 

The NJDOE believes these scores should be reported promptly to the public. This link shows that the scores have been available to the public since at least mid July 2017: The QSAC letter below has been available from the State of New Jersey since Summer 2017.

INSTRUCTION AND PROGRAM is, in my opinion, the single most important and critical DPR for a New Jersey School District. That the Hoboken School District has failed this the INSTRUCTION AND PROGRAM DPR for 7 straight years is very concerning. That these scores are not being reported in a timely fashion in compliance with QSAC regulations is very disappointing. 

   QSAC_IandP_HobJune202017 by Anthony Petrosino on Scribd