Schools

Superintendent Discusses Areas in Need of Improvement

Dropout rate, test scores and advanced classes among items deserving attention

Standardized test scores, a decrease in students taking advanced classes and an increase in the dropout rate are all areas of concern per data released by the state in its School Report Card, said Lacey Township Superintendent Richard Starodub.

“The report card in general is a pretty good place to look. Not just what we did well in but examining for things we need to focus on so we approach it from not it’s a great report card, where’s my reward kind of a thing, we look at it critically, some of the areas. Some of the areas where we’re not doing as well as we would like to have some explanation and some of it we’ve been working on for a while,” Starodub said.

Dropout Rate

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Lacey Township’s dropout rate rose from 1.9 percent in the 2008-09 school year to 2.2 percent in the 2009-10 school year, compared to the states 0.9 percent.

The issue is being examined, Starodub said. He said it could be a matter of just a few kids as well as an issue with a student being counted twice if the dropped out in 10th grade, returned to school, and dropped out a second time.

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There are also a percentage of students who are unaccounted for because they dropped out without informing the school, Starodub said.

Students could have gone to work or into the military.

“Normally we work with students that are potentially dropouts unless they’re 16, they can leave and don’t have to give a reason… Typically we have our counselors working with students that are moving in that direction. We have accounted for most but not all,” Starodub said.

Starodub added that other schools in Ocean County reported a higher dropout rate as well, which is unusual for the area.

Barnegat High School's dropout rate increased from zero percent to 1.8 percent for the 2009-10 school year while Central Regional increased from 2 percent to 2.1 percent.

Post-Graduation Plans

The percentage of graduates going onto a post-secondary college or the military decreased slightly for the 2009-10 school year, with a 2 percent drop. Ninety percent of Lacey Township High School graduates planned to go onto college or the military while 10 percent sought employment.

Starodub said the economy could play a role but added that college tuition and the unemployment rate are increasing while financial endowments from schools are not as readily available.

He added that fewer students are even taking the SATs because it is costly.

Advanced Placement Participation

Participation in Advanced Placement classes is significantly lower than the state’s average. Only 6.6 percent of students in grades 11 and 12 take advanced courses compared to the state’s average of 19.9 percent.

“We would like more kids to take it, that’s kind of a soft spot for us, we would like to see more kids take it and encourage more kids to,” Starodub said.

Starodub said that the number of students taking Ocean County College (OCC) courses during their junior and senior years has increased because they want to get a head start.

Two OCC courses are taught in Lacey Township High School.

“We should be looking for more ways to challenge them. But I think we’ve created our own demise to some extent with promoting the OCC classes, and the economy has had a pretty good bearing on it. More kids are probably going to OCC than more competitive schools where the AP would make a difference,” Starodub said.

In Lacey Township, students in advanced courses are required to take the advanced placement exam but typically they need to score at least a three on the test for credits to be accepted in college. Another deterrent is that many colleges do not accept advanced courses.

Farleigh Dickinson University (FDU) has implemented a special accreditation, which can prove to be an incentive for students to take advances courses. If students get an A or B in the advanced class (not the exam), they could get credit for FDU.

Test Scores

Lacey Township exceeds its peers in its district factor group in language arts and math in the majority of grades, Assistant Superintendent Vanessa Clark said.

In grade three, the school district is right at the district factor group average, which can possibly be attributed to the changes in the benchmarks for No Child Left Behind, Clark said.

Math in seventh and eight grades have been an area in need of improvement and is being addressed, Clark said.

According to Clark, middle school Principal James Handschuch has been implementing various programs including Tails and Paws, an afterschool program offered to provide additional help right before the NJ ASK.

In high school, the district is right at the state average in math so Clark believes this is an area in need of improvement as well.

The district needs to look at grades 5 to 6 as well as the high school level for continuity, Clark said. With the implementation of common core standards, she wonders if they are providing the right scope and sequence to prepare the students.

To learn more about the test results read, “” and “.”

Click on the links below for Lacey Township School District’s report cards:

Cedar Creek Elementary School

Forked River Elementary School

Lacey Township High School


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