Freehold District Superintendent Optimistic About Schools' Future

Freehold Intermediate School received lukewarm scores in the first round of a new statewide school evaluation system. 

The state Department of Education NJ Schools Performance Report was released for each of the schools across the state last week. The evaluation scores middle schools in three major categories: Academic Achievement, College & Career Readiness and Student Growth.

Academic Achievement scores are tabulated from the results of students’ performance in language and mathematics standardized tests. College & Career Readiness scores are calculated in middle schools by measuring how many students are enrolled in Algebra I in either 7th or 8th grade as well as how many pupils are chronically absent. The Student Growth scores measure students’ performance on standardized test over a period of years, the report says.

The reports also weigh how schools performed in each category in two ways: how individual schools scored in relation to the state average, and how they did in comparison to a selection of about 30 “peer’’ schools – schools around the state that serve a similar demographic.

“We hope that these new reports will inform conversations at the local level about where schools are doing well and where they can continue to improve,” said Bari Erlichson, chief performance officer at the state DOE.

Although the school’s scores on the state report were not stellar, new Superintendent Rocco Tomazic said he the standardized tests the district’s students are about to take this year will be his benchmark.

Tomazic said superintendents statewide were aware of the scores last September, well before he took the lead in the district, and that there were flaws in the reporting system.

Specifically, the peer grouping, Tomazic said, is not necessarily representative of like schools. He said the criteria used in the peer groupings was too narrow.

“I don’t pay much attention to the peer scores,’’ Tomazic said. “I look at how we compared in the state, and all indications I’ve seen is that we’re making progress.’’

Freehold Intermediate outperformed just 24 percent of schools in the state in Academic Achievement and scored in the 21 percentile against schools in its peer group, the report says.

In College & Career Readiness, the school scored in the 35th percentile in the state, but 50th percentile in its peer group, according to the report.

In Student Growth, Freehold Intermediate outperformed 42 percent of schools throughout the state and 52 percent of its peer group, the report says.

Freehold Intermediate School’s peer group includes Eatontown’s Memorial Middle School and Neptune Middle School in Monmouth County.