August 28, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 7 Midland Park Trustees propose goals for board, district The Midland Park Board of Education has proposed a series of 2013-14 goals for itself and for the district. Those goals, which were still undergoing minor revi- sions last week, will be considered for adoption at the Sept. 3 board meeting, school officials indicated. While any of the goals may still be revised, a draft document indicates that the proposals for the board would include the successful completion of negotiations of all contract agreements, including those involving the Midland Park Education Association, the administra- tors, and other stand-alone positions. The proposed goals also call for the board to explore facilities improvement options for the schools, support the district’s outreach and communications initiative to improve community engagement, and participate in professional develop- ment that relates to improving communications and board effectiveness. The five goals proposed for the district include improving student achievement results and student grade level cohort performance on standardized testing and in-district formative assessments; “ensuring class- room assessment is ongoing and authentic, i.e. rubrics, performance tasks, and grade-level appropriate to both content and tool, i.e. Fountas Pinnell, Achievement Series, in-district writing assessments.” The draft states that emphasis would be placed on student cohort/con- tent areas identified through analysis of state benchmark assessments and in-district assessment data. Another proposed district goal would ensure compli- ance with all aspects of the TEACH NJ Act, including the development of SGOs, or student growth objectives, for instructional staff and the implementation of a pilot program for the principal evaluation system. Midland Park Superintendent of Schools Dr. Marie C. Cirasella explained that student growth objectives are long-term academic goals that teachers set for their stu- dents in the first few weeks of the school year. These objectives are aligned with state standards and are set using available student learning data. Teachers use appropriate national, state, or district-developed assess- ments to measure how well their students meet the goals they have set for them. For the 2013-14 school year, teachers of tested grades and subjects must create one to two SGOs. Teachers of non-tested grades and subjects must create two SGOs, the superintendent said. The district is also seeking to improve the special education program and 2014-15 budget planning by analyzing current out-of-district placement costs and examining the potential for increased special education classroom capacity/placement in-district. In addition, the district would work to improve existing protocols for determining and approving out-of-district placement students. The proposed goals also include an effort to increase the district and school self-assessment scores with regard to the anti-harassment, intimidation, and bullying pro- gram. The district would re-evaluate existing programs and initiatives. According to the draft, the district would also work to improve community engagement and the dissemina- tion of school and district information. School officials would continue to increase the use of communication tools to share school and district news, and would work to increase the engagement of parents and the com- munity in special education matters by improving the format and content of the Special Education Parent Advisory Council. Midland Park Board of Education President William Sullivan explained that the board developed these pro- posed goals at an annual workshop as required of all school boards in the State of New Jersey. “In addition to board trustees, most of our adminis- trative team attended and actively participated,” Sullivan said. “Our NJSBA (New Jersey School Boards Associa- tion) field representative, Mr. Alfred Annunziata, facili- tated the workshop and began by presenting the board with the results of our self-evaluation, which we previ- ously completed online. Mr. Annunziata also compiled the goal-setting results of the workshop for submission to the board.” Sullivan noted that the cost of this annual workshop is included in the dues the district pays to the NJSBA, an organization that provides school board with training and advocacy.