NJ Education Report

Teacher Compensation Trends: Teachers at Princeton Regional Public Schools are protesting the School Board’s contract proposal of a three-year pay freeze. Up north in Norwood, a fact-finder recommended that the Board and union settle a three-year contract at annual raises of 3.0%, 2.9%, and 2.8%. In Paterson, teachers have been without a contract for almost four years, although The Record reports that a new contract agreement is pending.

For an entirely different model, see the new Mastery Charter School in Camden, where a teacher’s  salary starts at $45K and goes to $87K (plus benefits), “with raises based on performance standards,” reports NJ Spotlight. “Forty-five percent [of compensation] is based on student achievement, 40 percent is classroom observations, and 15 percent based on “Mastery values and responsibilities,” which [Mastery CEO Scott] Gordon described as “believing that all children can learn and acting as if all children can learn.” A new criteria using student surveys will be added next year.”

Seventy NJ school districts won waivers from the DOE for various aspects of the new data-driven teacher evaluations.Also in NJ Spotlight, an analysis of the odds of NJ slowing down the implementation of PARCC testing through passage of legislation or DOE action.

Star Ledger: “In the first round of the universal enrollment program, Newark parents preferred charter schools for their elementary students, but they favored the district high schools over charters for grades 9 through 12, according to new information from the district.”

Trenton Public Schools is starting a gifted and talented program. The Trenton Times reports that only 50 students will have access and admission will be based on “grades, a demonstration of student talent or ability, student-made products or projects, intelligence test results, principal and teacher recommendations, and parent and student recommendations.”

From today’s New York Times on girls’ dropping literacy rate in computer coding: “Last year, girls made up 18.5 percent of A.P. computer science test-takers nationwide, a slight decrease from the year before. In three states, no girls took the test at all. An abysmal 0.4 percent of girls entering college intend to major in computer science. And in 2013, women made up 14 percent of all computer science graduates — down from 36 percent in 1984.”