|
|
|
||||||||
|
Last updated |
An Independent View of the School District of South Orange - Maplewood NJ |
|
|
DEMOGRAPHICS STANDARDIZED TEST RESULTS
Language Arts Curriculum EDUCATION SPENDING COLUMBIA HIGH SCHOOL
MISC. * Violence Report
|
On these pages readers will find data and presentations relating to
enrollment, socio-economic character, cost and comparative educational performance of the
South Orange-Maplewood School District (SOMSD). All data is from publicly available documents, primarily
reports provided by NJ State Department of Education in conjunction with
the Essex County superintendent's office and SO-M documents
required in the budget.
Under the NJ Open Public Records Act (OPRA) the theory of ownership of such documents has shifted from the government entity to the public. Most are available by filing a request with the appropriate designated record keeper. Karla Milanette (973-762-5600) has that responsibility for the SO-M District. Those who have found their way to this site have some knowledge of the towns served by the school district or have an interest in the district. The individual presentations are meant to constructively assist in reaching fact-based conclusions. Readers are encouraged to review the information presented with that from other sources, including the school district, before making any decisions regarding the public educational system in South Orange and Maplewood NJ . Those interested in data for individual district schools should go to the NJ School Report Cards for that school. In 1992, the NJ State Department of Education placed SOMSD with 104 other New Jersey school districts in District Factor Group I (dfg I). DFGs are an indicator of the socioeconomic status of the citizens in each district and have been used by the Department of Education for the comparative reporting of various statistics, including results on state mandated tests. Currently there are eight levels beginning with dfg A which includes most urban districts in the state. DFG I is the second highest socioeconomic category. Other dfg I districts with enrollments over 3,500 students include: Bernards, East Brunswick, Livingston, Montclair, Randolph, Ridgewood, Scotch Plains-Fanwood, and South Brunswick. West Orange is in dfg GH, the group immediately below dfg I. Sub (Suburban ) NJ includes all districts but those in dfg A. Because of enrollment, demographics and location, SO-M is most often compared with Montclair, NJ. In recent budget documents, district administrators have chosen Millburn, Livingston and West Orange as other districts with which they wish to compare. Assignment to a particular dfg is based upon 1990 census data. New dfg groupings are possible in the future. Reactions to the data here and similar publicity regarding district performance and rank are predictable, and sometimes have a chilling effect. What was intended to be an annual event for the Star-Ledger ended in a one-time story after the public outcry from districts such as SO-M. See the link below. But, consider the comments of the former education editor for New Jersey Monthly regarding that magazine's Lessons Learned. Researchers may find these web sites useful: NJ State Department of Education
School Report Cards SY
2003-04 Star-Ledger high school rankings September 1997 & 2002-03 Report Card Analysis New Jersey Monthly magazine high school rankings: Columbia High School - others available on request. Digital City: NJ high school rankings Greatschools.net: South Orange-Maplewood Schools Urbanbaby: Message Board click "Search All Boards" and type in Maplewood Maplewood on line: Message Board click Education |
|
|
Pithy, fact-based (non-anecdotal) comments? Contact usomweb |