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Charters lagging behind district schools | Paterson Times

Charters lagging behind district schools

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The city’s three charter schools that operated during school year 2012-13 received mixed results in the State’s school performance report cards released on Tuesday.

John P. Holland Charter School

The John P. Holland Charter School, located on Oliver Street, was bunched together with failing schools all over the State in the bottom 20-percent on academic achievement. The school has an enrollment of 193 students in grades kindergarten through eighth, according to the data released by the New Jersey Department of Education.

50-percent of students who took the New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge (NJASK) language arts section flunked the exam; the other half managed a proficient score. In the math section of the exam only 53-percent of the students were proficient, the rest were below the mark.

Although compared around the State the school appears to be in an woeful academic State; however, when compared to schools with similar demographic, majority Black and Hispanic with small number of Asians and even smaller number of Whites, the school comes out in the 80-percentile mark. In college and career readiness the school sinks in the bottom 12-percent State-wide.

Community Charter School of Paterson

The Community Charter School of Paterson, the most high profile charter in the city, located on Spruce Street, run by the New Jersey Community Development Corporation (NJCDC), received an abysmal report. The school “significantly lags in comparison to schools across the state,” according to the report.

The school’s enrollment from kindergarten to fifth grade consisted of 584 students during the previous school year. Placed in the bottom 13-percent on academic achievement State-wide, the school has a NJASK proficiency score of 45-percent in language arts– majority of students, 55-percent, scored below proficient. In the math section of the exam the students did much better with 64-percent proficiency.

In college and career readiness the school is in the bottom one-percent. “This school’s college and career readiness significantly lags in comparison to schools across the state,” read the State’s report card.

Paterson Charter School for Science and Technology

Despite the two low performing charters there is one charter that is excelling in the city. The Paterson Charter School for Science and Technology with two campuses, one on Wabash Avenue and the other on 11th Avenue, reached parity with other schools in the State. “This school’s academic performance is about average when compared to schools across the state,” read the State’s report card on the school.

The school with 1,039 students covers kindergarten through 12th grades.

High school

97-percent of students scored proficient in the New Jersey High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA) language arts section, a knowledge test issued to high school students; in the math section 76-percent of students reached proficiency, according to the report card. The school’s graduation rate stands at 75-percent. The four secondary grades consisted of 316 students during the last academic year; the elementary grades were made up of 723 students.

Elementary school

Students in lower grades reached 53-percent proficiency in the NJASK language arts section; in the math section the number was much higher: 70-percent. “This school’s college and career readiness lags in comparison to schools across the state,” read the report. The school ranks in the 36-percentile State-wide on college and career readiness.

Despite being average State-wide the school lags behind Rosa Parks High School and International High School, two public schools, in academic achievement and career and college readiness.

The reports present a poor picture of the city’s charter schools many of which were setup to outperform district schools but are lagging behind. The Paterson Arts & Science Charter School, located on East 33rd Street, did not exist during school year 2012-13; therefore, no data was released.

  • Anon

    This article is false because I happen to go to Paterson Charter School for Science and Technology and there they actually care about their students. They help us after school and as much as they can in school as well. For any state test we always prepare with lots of different materials and new ways to help our learning process. This article is also false because they do help us all the time with college readiness. Seventh and Eighth grade students take a college readiness class to find out what they want to be when they grow up and highs hollers have an advisory class once every other week to help us get to out dream school and also raise up our grades. This school is so helpful and really care about us succeeding so if kids do not apply themselves it's not their fault because they give us everything necessary to ace tests and do better in life. Going to this school was honestly one of the best things that happened to me because I met so many wonderful people (including teachers) who care about my personal life and want to see me succeeded in life. No school is perfect but this school is close enough.

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