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    NEW JERSEY ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS

    920 West State Street • Trenton, New Jersey 08618-5328

    609.599.2900 / Fax: 609.599.9359 website: https://www.njasa.net

     

     
    Press Release
    Contact:
    Anne H. Gallagher
    NJASA Director of Communications
    609-599-2900, ext. 126
     

    Trenton, NJ – December 3, 2014 ..…..“Today’s actions of the New Jersey State Board of Education regarding the New Jersey Quality Single Accountability Continuum (QSAC) waiver opportunity is most welcome news for New Jersey chief education officers and their staffs, “ said NJASA Executive Director Dr. Richard Bozza. 

    He continued, “The compact QSAC process, recommended by the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE), will provide the necessary evidence of continuing high performance and allow districts to place their resources in improving their educational status rather than undertaking unnecessary and cumbersome paper work. Kudos to NJDOE! “

    Dr. Bozza noted, “School leaders wrestle daily with the question of how to obtain needed resources, both human and capital. We can all agree that nobody likes red tape and this effort to streamline the process, increase efficiency, and provide flexibility for educators – are educational reforms that the NJASA supports and changes that will benefit New Jersey’s students.”

    This waiver procedure will allow high-performing school districts, as determined by NJDOE criteria; to submit a Statement of Assurance documenting they have remained high-performing. The flexibility of an additional three years to focus on continuing improvements in student performance and district operations rather than spending time documenting what NJDOE can verify about district outcomes is a step in the right direction.

    NJDOE shares the following: 

    ·         Eligible districts will have evidence that they remain high-performing as an alternative to completing a District Performance Review, based on 20 to 25 metrics developed by the Department (such as proficiency rates, graduation rates, timely submission of administrator contracts, and compliance with the annual budget process).

    ·         If a district remains high-performing in accordance with these metrics, the district would receive a three-year extension on its full QSAC review. This would result in the district undergoing the traditional in-depth QSAC review, including a District Performance Review, every six years instead of every three years.     

    Even if eligible for the streamlined review process, each district will still be required to submit a Statement of Assurance to the Department on an annual basis attesting to its performance on the quality performance indicators in each of the five component areas.

    NJASA looks forward to working with Acting Commissioner Hespe, his staff and school and community stakeholders as we work to ensure that every New Jersey student is truly ready for a career or post-secondary education following graduation. Let’s work together to accomplish this important goal.

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