State Shows Off Charter School Scores

The Christie administration is pointing to the performance of charter schools statewide as evidence his plan for school reforms is desperately needed.

The state Department of Education released data showing charters in urban areas generally outperforming other schools in their host districts on standardized tests given in 2010. Included in the data is United Charter School in Morris Township—which shows a more mixed result.

"The data affirms the need for Gov. Christie’s reform proposals to grow the number of high-quality charter schools, expand choice for children in failing schools, and reform New Jersey’s charter law to attract high-quality operators to the state," the DOE said in a press release.

Christie said at a recent town hall meeting at the Paramus that .

His administration announced Tuesday that 23 new schools had been approved.

Tuesday's statement from the Department of Education focuses mainly on charters located in former Abbott districts, those that were court-ordered to receive state assistance to meet the New Jersey constitutional requirement of providing a "thorough and efficient" school system for all children.

In those schools, students performed higher on the New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge and the High School Proficiency Assessment tests in 2010. For eighth-grade students, 79 percent of the charter schools in former Abbott districts scored higher than their home districts in language arts, while 69 percent of the charter schools scored higher than their home districts in Math.

“The data shows us that the innovation and creativity that drove the charter movement in the first place are getting real results for our children,” Acting Education Commissioner Chris Cerf said in the statement. “High-quality charters in New Jersey are shining examples of why we can no longer accept that zip code equals destiny.  It’s critical that we act immediately to strengthen and expand charter schools in the state by implementing Gov. Christie’s education reforms.”

In Newark, all but two of the nine charter schools outperformed the district average for math and all but two out-scored the district average in language arts, the state said. In Camden, all four charters outperformed the district averages in language arts and math.

“These charter schools are living proof that a firm dedication to students and a commitment to best education practices will result in high student achievement in some of New Jersey’s lowest-income areas,” Carlos Perez, chief executive officer of the New Jersey Charter School Associatio, said in the statement from the DOE. He pointed to NJASK data for third-grade language arts, where more than half the charters outperformed the schools in their home districts, and of those, more than 75 percent were located in former Abbott districts.

“With charters—as with all schools—accountability is critical. Charters are not permanent and must be renewed on a regular basis, helping ensure accountability,” Newark Charter School Fund CEO Mashea Ashton said in the DOE statement. “The data shows that charter schools are working hard and successfully providing a high quality education for their students.”