Here Is How Warren Schools Were Graded On New State Report

WARREN, NJ — Several township schools were ranked on the top half of a controversial rating system that educators say paints an incomplete picture of the state's 2,100 schools.

The schools are rated on a 1-100 scale. The ratings, which were released Wednesday, were established to comply with the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which replaced the controversial No Child Left Behind Act.

The ratings for high schools are based on graduation and absenteeism rates and PARCC scores, while elementary and middle school scores are based on absenteeism, PARCC and student progress on PARCC tests, according to the state Department of Education.

Patch obtained the "summative scores" from the state Department of Education, which shows schools in Cresskill, Millburn and Fair Haven as having the highest scores, getting a 96.73 or higher.

Based on the reports, it appears that schools that finished with at least a 50 score could be considered average. Schools that finish in the top 20 percent are considered above average.

Warren Township schools and Wathung Hills Regional High School received the following scores and overall rankings (out of 2,088 schools):

• 70th. Woodland School: 88.89
• 206th. Mt. Horeb School: 79.79
• 326th. Warren Middle School: 74.21
• 415th. Angelo L. Tomaso School: 71.03
• 507th: Watchung Hills Regional High School: 67.12
• 701st. Central School: 60.67

Schools that have third grade or higher also have "summative percentile rating," which shows how they compare to other high schools, middle and elementary schools. Those give elementary schools more weight in their scoring because they don't have the exact same criteria as high schools (like graduation rates).

The summative percentile ratings, and their statewide rankings are:

• 59th. Woodland School: 97.27
• 192nd. Mt. Horeb School: 90.88
• 312nd. Warren Middle School: 85.13
• 402nd. Angelo L. Tomaso School: 80.81
• 599th: Watchung Hills Regional High School: 71.35
• 684th. Central School: 67.30

Dr. Matthew Mingle, Superintendent of Schools commented on the ranking:

"The New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) rating system attempts to create a summary score for each school in the State by combining and weighting several data points related to student achievement and growth. The NJDOE itself cautions against using the summative scores to rank schools. In its reference guide, the NJDOE makes clear that schools of different levels (elementary, middle, high) and with varying demographic make-ups (number of English language learners, for example) have their summative scores calculated differently.

Placing each school into rank-order based on the NJDOE summary rating encourages an overly
simplistic and inaccurate understanding of school quality. While the Warren Township Schools
perform very well on this metric, it does not begin to capture all that makes our schools special. I
encourage interested individuals to visit the district website at www.warrentboe.org to watch a
short video that captures the spirit, climate, and unique environment provided by each of our
neighborhood elementary schools. These videos can be found by clicking on the name of each
school.

The full school performance reports are available at www.njschooldata.org and provide a great
deal of useful data to help administrators, teachers, parents, and community members think
about a school’s strengths and areas for growth. This is how we in the Warren Township
Schools live our motto of Shining Brighter Every Day."

For a complete statewide list of rankings, click here.

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