The initiative assists teachers in changing their instructional and educational practices while preparing students for success in the digital age.
Washington Township Superintendent of Schools Joe Bollendorf, members of the Board of Education and the administration of Washington Township High School are proud to announce the recent certification of Washington Township High School as a New Jersey Future Ready School.
Future Ready Schools — New Jersey, a coalition of New Jersey Institute of Technology, the New Jersey School Boards Association and the New Jersey Department of Education, is a certification program designed to support the organization of schools’ and districts’ efforts through the national Future Ready Framework. The initiative assists teachers in changing their instructional and educational practices while preparing their students for success in the digital age. The certification program was created to support schools with resources needed to implement digital learning and to promote the skills, abilities and capacities essential for student success in college, career and citizenship.
“This recognition reflects a great deal of work by a committee of educators and staff who are committed to transforming instructional practices, leveraging technology and personalizing learning to mirror the digital world that our students are immersed in” Bollendorf said. “Having our flagship school certified as Future Ready validates our 1:1 initiative and all of the other planning we have worked to implement. It is gratifying for our high school to be recognized among leaders in South Jersey and the state.”
“This is a proud moment for our district,” BOE President Ginny Murphy said. “We are committed to improving our infrastructure and giving our teachers the technology and tools that will be the most impactful for student growth and success. To that end, we will be continuing the Future Ready School process to earn certifications for each of our schools.”
In May of 2016, Bollendorf signed the Future Ready pledge on behalf of Washington Township Public Schools. During the commitment phase of application, the Washington Township Board of Education also signed a formal resolution agreeing to support the district’s pursuit of continuous improvement via participation in the FRS-NJ program. Subsequently, a district Future-Ready team was created and began the rigorous work of the certification phase. Proof, artifacts and data were submitted documenting growth in three major strands: education and classroom practice, leadership and technology support and services. Each strand has between 15–20 specialized “indicators” — each of which is evaluated according to its own 10-point rubric. A total of 270 points is required to achieve Future Ready — New Jersey status.
“Having our district become one of the first certified Future Ready schools in the state of New Jersey was a huge goal for me,” said Kathi Kersznowski, a member of the district FRS team. “The process was intensive, but immensely rewarding…It is really a distinguished honor. My favorite part of the process was noting the areas in which we could not yet provide documentation — those are opportunities for growth — and our team will use these as goals going forward. That’s motivating.”
In October, representatives of the Washington Township Future Ready team will publicly accept the certification at the New Jersey School Boards Workshop in Atlantic City.
The district’s Future Ready School Team included: Superintendent of Schools Joe Bollendorf, Board of Education President Ginny Murphy, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Jack McGee, Director of Secondary Education Dr. Steve Gregor, Director of Elementary Education Gretchen Gerber, Director of Information Technology Joe Konecki, and the district’s four technology integration specialists Kathi Kersznowski, Jessica Soulliard, Josh Hanlon and Liz Pitel.
