NJ Quality Single Accountability Continuum
Field Test/Pilot Program Overview
Purpose:
The New Jersey Quality Single Accountability (NJQSAC) is a system for evaluating and monitoring public school districts throughout New Jersey. This approach is intended to be a comprehensive accountability system to determine the extent that public school districts are providing a thorough and efficient education. The NJQSAC system through the use of the District Performance Review (DPR) focuses on five key components of school district effectiveness – instruction and program, personnel, fiscal management, operations, and governance. Within the NJQSAC components are the standards and indicators designed to assess student achievement, progress toward proficiency, local capacity, and the need for support and assistance.
The goal of the 2006 NJQSAC field-test/pilot program is to proactively assess the validity of the DPR and identify barriers in the process of verifying the performance of districts prior to full implementation.
Field-Test/Pilot Structure:
The 2006 NJQSAC field-test/pilot program includes 13 districts. The composition of the districts is 8 from the northern region, 2 from the central region and 3 from the southern region. The 13 districts participating in the field-test/pilot are: Allendale, Haworth, Ridgewood, Newark, Jersey City, Montville, Mount Olive, Paterson, Roselle, Somerset County Vocational, Galloway Township, Pleasantville and Bridgeton. The field-test/pilot program requires all 13 field-test/pilot districts, using a modified committee process, to complete and submit the DPR components of Program and Instruction and one other assigned DPR component. Field-test/pilot districts may volunteer to complete additional DPR components. Local boards of education approve the participation of the district in the field-test/pilot program through a resolution and may participate as a member of the local self-assessment committee.
District Personnel – The responsibilities of the Chief School Administrator and/or designated district personnel include attending required state-level meetings and training sessions, timely preparation and completion of the DPR, providing administrative oversight, and may include feedback regarding the identification of impediments and potential resolutions to the process.
CountySuperintendents and County Offices/Abbott Division Personnel – The County Office and Abbott Division personnel are responsible for attending training and state-level meetings, collaborating with and assisting the districts during the DPR completion process, reviewing and verifying the accuracy of the completed DPR sections.
Field-Test/Pilot Program Milestones:
| February 3, 2006 | District, County and other department personnel assembled to discuss the next steps of the NJQSAC field-test/pilot program. |
| March 21, 2006 | District, County and other department personnel met to discuss the revised DPR and the design of the field-test/pilot program. |
| May 2, 2006 | District personnel receive their assigned DPR components and receive guidance on the completion of the DPR and the field-test/pilot processes. |
| May 3 – July 11, 2006 | Field-test/pilot districts complete the assigned DPR components with technical assistance from the County, Abbott and other department personnel as needed. |
| July 11, 2006 | Field-test/pilot districts submit completed DPR components to the Chief of Staff. County office personnel receive the completed DPRs. |
| July 12 – Aug. 4, 2006 | County and Abbott personnel review the information and complete a verification of the DPR responses. |
| Aug. 11, 2006 | Field-test/pilot districts receive feedback from NJDOE. |
| September 2006 | NJDOE uses findings to inform both the NJQSAC process for full statewide implementation and the State Board of Education. |
