Majority Of Lawrence Teachers 'Effective,' New Evaluations Say

LAWRENCE TOWNSHIP, NJ — Lawrence Township school children are in good hands. The Lawrence Township Public School District received good marks from the New Jersey Department of Education’s staff evaluations based on the 2015-16 school year.

Teachers and staff across the state are graded and categorized as “highly effective,” “effective," "partially effective" and "ineffective." Results were released last week.

Out of 260 total teachers, 161 teachers were found to be “effective,” with another 99 deemed “highly effective.” No data was provided for the other two categories.

There are 12 principals, assistant principals and vice principals in the district, but no data was provided for them.

See related: NJ Teacher Report Cards Released: See Who’s Effective, Ineffective

Nearly two-thirds of the state’s 112,000 teachers were found to be “effective” and another third were “highly effective,” according to a report from NJ Spotlight.

State law requires each district to use a standardized system to evaluate teacher performance based on classroom observation and a form of student performance. It has been in effect since the State Legislature passed a tenure system five years ago to determine the strongest and weakest teachers in the state.

Patch file photo