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Schools

Morris Plains: New Report Card Tells Part of the Story

Palestis says state reporting is helpful to parents

A new school report card unveiled in November by Gov. Chris Christie is a “good instrument for reporting objective data such as test scores,” Morris Plains Superintendent Dr. Ernest Palestis said, but there are many aspects of a school “you can’t translate into an official document.”

Speaking after a presentation to the board by Borough School’s select chorus and several instrumental ensembles, Palestis said the a well-balanced curriculum that creates well-rounded students is more than can be demonstrated in test scores.

However, the report card does allow parents to see comparisons of their children with other children in similar districts. Morris Plains students always score very well in those tests, but they don’t measure other aspects of education.

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To that end, Palestis is going to invite students to more board meetings to demonstrate skills in everything from technology to physical education and poetry.

The new report card is designed as a way for New Jersey to stop used the No Child Left Behind system. That system labels a school as “failing” even if only one small group of students can’t meet targets on state tests, according to the governor’s statement. The Obama administration now allows waivers to states that show batter plans be measure student growth, fis troubled schools, close achievement gaps and graduate students ready for college and careers, his statement said.

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Some superintendents applaud any move away from the labeling of No Child Left Behind.

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