Harding Township School State of the District - 2/12/2018

State of District Presentation Mission Statement Purpose HTS Curricular Offerings Extra Curricular and Cultural Arts Offerings Technology HTS Academic Performance HTS Climate Survey Context

Harding Township School- Mission Statement The Harding Township School provides a strong educational foundation which inspires students to achieve academic excellence. Our dedicated faculty stimulates intellectual growth using a challenging curriculum within a supportive learning environment. We encourage students to become self-directed, lifelong learners who are well prepared for the academic and social changes of the future.

Purpose To develop a communal vision centered on student achievement and to allocate resources to that aim.

Elementary School English Language Arts- Readers’ and Writers’ Workshop Math in Focus- “Singapore” math Social Studies Science-Next Generation Science Standards Physical Education and Health Character Education Music-vocal and instrumental Art Library World Language-K-4 Spanish and 5th grade (Spanish, French, Mandarin Chinese) Quest/Enrichment

Middle School English Language Arts (Reading and Writing) Math- Pre-Algebra, Algebra 1, and Geometry Social Studies- US, Ancient and World History Science- Earth Science, Biology, and Chemistry World Language- French, Mandarin Chinese, and Spanish Art, Music, Technology, Library/Media, Character Education

Academic Programs and Extra-Curricular Activities Available to HTS Middle School Students Band Choir School Play Exploratory Student Council Climate and Culture Athletics- Field hockey, soccer, boys’ and girls’ lacrosse, boys’ and girls’ basketball, track. Solar Sprints, Model UN, Forensics, Future Cities, TSA, Rocketry Challenge, Battle of the Books

HTS Honors 2016 Exemplary Elementary Educator- Mrs. Jennifer Baldassari 2017 Exemplary Middle School Educator- Mrs. Susan Engelsman Carol E. Larson “Master Board” certification- Harding BOE one of only thirteen districts to ever receive the honor

HTS Honors Junior Model UN- 7th and 8th grade Quest- Best Position Paper and Outstanding Delegation-2017 Best Position Paper and Outstanding Delegation-2018 Solar Sprints- 6th and 7th grade Quest- out of 60 competitors 1st, 2nd and 3rd Place for Documentation Portfolio. 2nd Place Craftsmanship 1st Place Student Choice Battle of the Books- 2017 6th grade team- 1st Place Forensics- 1st, 2nd, and 4th place JV and TEAM trophy Varsity- 1st Place Future Cities- First Place in the New Jersey Regional Competition, the students will be competing in Washington, DC in the National Finals

Technology Each classroom has a Smart Board for interactive lessons Each student in grades 3-8 have access to Chromebooks for use in their classrooms Grades K-2 classrooms have iPads available to them Each faculty member has their own laptop computer The district has a Computer Lab as well as a Library/Media lab for instruction in Technology and for use by teachers for their students Technology is integrated across all of our curriculum Our hardware and software is updated and replaced as needed on a yearly basis

State Assessments Three year growth from 2014-15 to 2016-17 assessment: ELA: Passing scores increased 14%, lowest two scores decreased 6% Math: Passing scores increased 16%, lowest two scores decreased 9% Our scores have placed us in the top 5% of all schools in 2016 and 2017

State Assessments 2017 Results: English Language Arts: Harding outperformed Morris County schools by 20% Harding outperformed similar size schools by 30% Harding outperformed NJ schools by 35%

State Assessments MATH: Harding outperformed Morris County schools by 16% Harding outperformed similar size schools by 25% Harding outperformed NJ schools by 31%

HTS Climate Survey Results Baseline survey was given in Spring 2013 with the post-survey given Fall 2017 Significant Increases (students and teachers): -Student respect and voice -Friendship, school connectedness, and school pride Significant Increases (parents): -Satisfaction with teachers -Involvement in the school -Perception of the school as fair, safe, and responsive to parents

HTS Climate Survey Results - Significant increase in the perception of teachers regarding the supportive leadership of the administration - Ratings for the perceived frequency of bullying significantly decreased - Students reported that they felt supported by the staff of the school

HTS Climate Survey Results HTS saw gains across the board in all measures of climate when comparing the 2013 results and 2017 results Special thank you to teachers: Mrs. Baldassari, Mrs. Thony, Mrs. Thomas, parents: Marisa Kennedy, Jen Nichols, Denise Masterson, Alison Maxwell, Ellice Grande, Mary Saltzman and Board member: Mrs. Kim Macaulay for their efforts with the Climate and Culture Team over the past four-plus years!

Context AS A DISTRICT: Where have we come from? Where are we now? Where do we want to go?

Strategic Planning Tonight’s meeting is one of three: Next meetings to be held- March 5th / April 17th NJ School Boards Representatives: Charlene Petersen and Kathy Helewa