Edgar school to apply for grade improvement program
BY JAY BODAS Correspondent

METUCHEN - For the first time, Edgar Middle School will be applying to become a New Jersey School to Watch (NJSTW), school district officials announced at last week's Board of Education meeting.

"It is a middle grades improvement program designed to identify high-performance and high-impact schools," said Kathryn Glutz, principal at Edgar School.

New Jersey is one of 16 states to participate in the program, which is sponsored by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform, according to the state Department of Education Web site.

The forum, begun in 1997, is an alliance of over 60 education professionals from around the country who work to promote the academic performance of middle school students.

"Through a self-assessment model, New Jersey middle schools can apply for this prestigious recognition," Glutz said. "The application is due by Nov. 19, and some schools will then be selected for a site visit. A final selection will be made by the forum, and the schools will be selected to serve as role models for middle school education."

The program asks school faculty to rate their own school while also looking at specific quantitative values that measure the school's performance.

"The program looks at achievement on standardized test scores, attendance, suspension rates, and how the school engages parents," Glutz said. "If in the process we receive recognition for our efforts, it will be a plus for our school and community."

"At the very least, it will offer a model of assessment and growth for Edgar Middle School, and other schools will visit selected schools, from which they will model their own programs," she said.

The costs associated with applying to the program are minimal.

"The cost is if we are selected, there is a national recognition program where we are required to send a representative, and that would be the single cost," Glutz said.

More information on the program is available at the Web sites www.schoolstowatch.org and www.mgforum.org.