West Deptford School District Earns Lighthouse Designation

WEST DEPTFORD, NJ — The West Deptford Public School District has been designated as a Lighthouse District by the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE), the state announced on Wednesday.

The district earned the distinction by showing substantial improvement in academic achievement. It was announced as a winner alongside eight other school districts and two charter schools at the NJDOE’s statewide “Equity for All” conference at The College of New Jersey.

“Lighthouse Districts can serve as beacons of success for public education in New Jersey,” Education Commissioner Lamont O. Repollet said. “We recognize Lighthouse Districts for tremendous academic gains, for demonstrating that all schools can excel and all students can achieve.”

To earn the distinction, West Deptford demonstrated measurable progress across diverse groups of learners and used multiple measures to provide individualized support to students and school communities, according to NJDOE.

NJDOE evaluated four years of district and school-level data to identify districts with the greatest academic improvement. Lighthouse districts are representative of New Jersey’s diverse student body, including size of the district and region of the state.

West Deptford will now have the chance to participate in professional learning and networking opportunities with other Lighthouse Districts, and other school districts, from July 2019 to July 2021.

It can also take part in diversity and inclusion training, and provide insight to the NJDOE through policy discussions.

The Lighthouse District initiative is in its third year. It was launched following conversations with educators, families and students throughout the state, who felt there should be a greater focus on growth rather than proficiency alone.

“The aim of the Lighthouse initiative is not to identify the districts with the highest test scores, but rather districts that have shown the greatest improvement,” State Board of Education President Kathy Goldenberg said. “By doing so, we give these local educators a platform in which they can share their initiatives, programs and successes with school leaders in other communities.”