Middle school principal gives State of the School address

NORTH BRUNSWICK — Linwood Middle School Principal Pete Clark highlighted new initiatives being implemented at the school during his State of the School address Nov. 11 as part of the Board of Education's conference meeting.

With this year's motto being "In Pursuit of Excellence," Clark began by speaking about the NJASK (Assessment of Skills and Knowledge) standardized test scores. He said that three out of the last five years, the school has passed all the requirements of the test, and that this past year the school passed 40 of the 41 indicators.

"We've had tremendous success in regard to an increase in our scores," Clark said.

To assist with academic achievement, the school uses data to analyze students' performance; creates student portfolios for seventh- and eighth-graders that include personal and academic interests; has a staffled NJASK Committee to review ways to prepare students for the test; implemented the "Read 180" program this year to help students who do not do well on the ASK test; partnered with the Rutgers Institute for Improving Student Achievement for the second year in a row to compare practices with other schools in language arts and math; continued monthly and quarterly assessments of the curriculum to make sure all departments are meeting testing standards; makes sure there is horizontal articulation among staff members and vertical articulation with the elementary and high schools; and works to provide a climate for students to be motivated to learn.

"We look at them personally and academically… to allow them to be more successful at Linwood Middle School," Clark said.

Other ways of impacting instructional time include an advisory period during the "R&R" period so that adults can partner with the 1,320 students on a more personal level to talk about their interests; creating personal, academic and career support through a Personalized Student Learning Portfolio pilot program; including a handful of students in an autism spectrum disorder class and a transition class; and by articulation with the elementary and high schools.

To make the school climate more "inviting," Clark said the school constantly promotes core ethical values, proven by its second "Best Practice" award from the National Character Education Partnership for Linwood's program during Black History Month, which has Parsons Elementary school graduates read to current students.

Clark said a new code of conduct has been incorporated; new lighting, a new parking lot and more cameras have been provided to improve school safety; a community service pilot program requires every eighth-grader to complete two hours of volunteer work; Project Response is helping students after school who have not done well on the NJASK; and various groups have come together such as the Student Council, the Parent-Teacher-Student Organization, parents, the community at large and local businesses.

"Every child is important. Every child should not only get a good education but should feel like a part of Linwood," Clark said.

The school has also vastly improved its technology resources, such as increasing the use of SmartBoards, utilizing a homework website, using Study Island throughout the entire calendar year to help students prepare for the NJASK, and providing computers on wheels throughout the school.

Also, staff members who attend workshops and conferences share their knowledge with fellow staff members during early-closing days, providing information on topics such as cyberbullying, homework techniques and differentiated instruction.

"A lot of people think on a 1:30 [p.m.] closing the kids are going home but something more important is going on here, and that is the articulation of our staff," Clark said.

In the future, Clark said the school will take steps to get off the NJASK improvement list, will make advisory groups available schoolwide, will offer personalized learning portfolios to all grades and work toward recognition as a "School of Character."

"We are trying to promote the education of Linwood Middle School and also the education of the North Brunswick district," Clark said.

Contact Jennifer Amato at

jamato@gmnews.com.