In perhaps one of the most bizarre educational policy decision in recent memory, the Hoboken Reporter is reporting that the Hoboken Board of Education is considering the closure of Calabro Elementary School. Calabro recently scored in the 96.39 percentile among all New Jersey Public Schools (traditional public and charter). This is the highest academic scoring school in all of Hoboken based on NJDOE criteria. This pending closure decision has many people surprised, confused, and angered. The response to possibly close Calabro has many community members emotional according to the Hoboken Reporter:
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| CLICK TO ENLARGE- Hoboken Reporter on Calabro Closing |
Elementary school is critical to student success in middle school and high school. Research shows conclusively that 3rd grade reading scores correlate with later school success.
It is the period where the basic foundation of reading and mathematics
are first established. That being said, recent independent, third party
evaluations of the Calabro Elementary School shows there are wonderful and extraordinary things happening and there is reason for great optimism for the educational future of the students attending this school.
Calabro Elementary School in Hoboken, NJ scores are outstanding and rank the highest in the City of Hoboken and among the highest scores in the State of New Jersey (last year the NJDOE ranked the school in the 84th percentile-- this year the NJDOE ranked the school below the 96th percentile). Less than 4% of New Jersey Public Schools do better than Calabro Elementary School on the NJDOE 0-100 scale score.
The New Jersey Department of Education scores are graded on a scale of 0-100 and consider standardized test results, graduation rates and other factors. For elementary and middle schools like Wallace School, the following criteria are used for score calculation:
Calabro Elementary School in Hoboken, NJ scores are outstanding and rank the highest in the City of Hoboken and among the highest scores in the State of New Jersey (last year the NJDOE ranked the school in the 84th percentile-- this year the NJDOE ranked the school below the 96th percentile). Less than 4% of New Jersey Public Schools do better than Calabro Elementary School on the NJDOE 0-100 scale score.
The New Jersey Department of Education scores are graded on a scale of 0-100 and consider standardized test results, graduation rates and other factors. For elementary and middle schools like Wallace School, the following criteria are used for score calculation:
The NJDOE has ranked Calabro Elementary in the 96th percentile-- 12 percentile points above last year's already high 84th percentile score. This with an 9:1 teacher ratio, 46% of students that are economically disadvantaged, teachers with an average of 7.3 years of experience for a teacher, and around $30,000 per pupil spending.
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| CLICK TO ENLARGE |
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The NJDOE reports that there are approximately 121 students in Calabro Elementary School, 46% of which are economically disadvantaged. Calabro is a majority non-poverty school. PK-06 grades are housed in the school.
President
sangley@hoboken.k12.nj.us
Thomas Kluepfel
Vice President
tkluepfel@hoboken.k12.nj.us
Malani Cademartori
Board Member
mcademartori@hoboken.k12.nj.us
Sheillah Dallara
Board Member
sdallara@hoboken.k12.nj.us
Alex De La Torre
Board Member
adelatorre@hoboken.k12.nj.us
Jennifer Evans
Board Member
jevans@hoboken.k12.nj.us
Chetali Khanna
Board Member
ckhanna@hoboken.k12.nj.us
Ailene McGuirk
Board Member
amcguirk@hoboken.k12.nj.us
Melanie Tekirian
Board Member
mtekirian@hoboken.k12.nj.us
