With help from teachers, parents, administrators and the community, the students of Tabernacle scored well on the annual report cards recently released by the Department of Education.
The report cards, based upon the 2010–2011 school year, show proficiency in student testing, information concerning classroom environments, the finances of the district and details on the staff and students.
The graduation rate was 96.11 percent at Seneca High School, just under the Lenape Regional High School District average of 96.89 percent — the highest rate in Burlington County according to assistant superintendent Carol L. Birnbohm.
Students who took the SAT performed better than the state average in all three categories.
In math, the average score was 527 compared to the state score of 517. The verbal section had students scoring an average of 506, while the state averaged in at 493. The essay portion garnered an average of 508 with the state scoring 496.
The average Lenape District total score was 1566.
Birnbohm emphasized the importance of completing the PSAT assessment prior to taking the SAT.
There is a huge correlation between student scores and the completion of the PSAT, she said.
The HSPA scores also show improvement at the district level.
“Students did very well on the HSPA,” said Birnbohm. “We’ve improved in both the math and the language arts literacy assessment.”
96.9 percent of the total district population was either proficient or advanced in the field of language arts while 88.3 percent scored similarly in math.
At Seneca High School, 96.2 percent were either proficient or advanced in language arts and 90.4 percent in math.
Average class sizes were 23.9 per class, which was higher than the state average of 19.
However, there were 10.6 students per faculty member, a number lower than the state average of 11.2.
Seneca administrative personnel had a median salary of $125,274, down from the 2009–2010 school year’s $129,812, but higher than the state median of $121,597.
Teachers’ salaries median rate was $64,295 while the state median was $68,435.
It cost $19,265 to educate each student in the district.
“We have very involved parents. We have great sending districts that feed to us,” Birnbohm said. “We have students and teachers that come prepared and willing to work.”
That sentiment begins at the secondary level in Tabernacle.
Class sizes at Tabernacle Elementary School were slightly below the state average of 19 at 18.8 students per classroom.
The student to faculty ratio was also similar to the state. At the school, there were 11.8 students per staff member. On the state level, there were 11.1.
School principal Dr. Gerald Paterson wrote in his school narrative that there is more to the picture than just teacher support.
“Our staff members have always been committed to excellence and to providing a quality education,” he said. “However, we recognize that the school cannot work alone. The Parent-Teacher Association is active and involved in providing human and financial support, the Parent-Teacher Articulation Committee, and parent and community volunteers cheerfully give of their time and expertise.”
Across the street at Olson Middle School, NJASK5 and NJASK8 scores were similar to the state averages.
23.5 percent of fifth-graders taking the test scored in the advanced category in mathematics, which was under the state average of 39.6 percent.
Eighth-grade science test takers excelled, with 40.2 percent scoring in the advanced category compared to the state average of 29.5 percent.
Class sizes at the middle school were overall higher than the state average of 19, with an average 23.1 students per class.
However, the student to faculty ratio was smaller than the state, with 9.8 students per staff member, compared to the state average of 11.1.
“We believe that with a wide range of academic programs and experiential opportunities can help our children develop positive values as they prepare for the challenges of the future,” said superintendent George Rafferty in his district narrative. “The Tabernacle School District, in partnership with the community, provides educational experiences enabling all students to become active, productive members of a diverse society and prepared for the challenges of the 21st century.”
Next school year, the Department of Education will begin to develop and publish school performance reports to replace the report card, according to a release by the state.
“Through these reports, the Department will set specific school and subgroup performance targets for both language arts and math, and will report annual progress towards meeting those goals,” reads the release. “In addition, the reports will include a number of new data points including progress towards closing achievement gaps, comparison to ‘peer schools’ with similar demographics, growth as measured through Student Growth Percentiles on state tests over time, and additional college and career readiness data points.”
The hope is for the state to provide better information through the new reports.
“While these Report Cards provide some helpful information to parents, the general public, and school administrators about school performance, the Department has long acknowledged that we can do a much better job of providing actionable information for the purposes of school improvement. We are moving to a new School Performance Report next year that will provide unprecedented data on how our schools are doing,” said acting commissioner Chris Cerf.
In the Tabernacle School District, excellence in education programs runs supreme, explained Rafferty.
“Educational programs are designed to reach the social-emotional dimension of students by encouraging the development of their self-esteem, as well as effective personal relations with others,” he said. “Enriching co-curricular and extra-curricular activities in art, music and athletics compliment already firmly established academic programs. The infusion and effective use of technology through all areas of academics is a continual consideration for learning when providing instruction.”
