New Jersey Administrative Code|Section 6A:33-2.1 - Schools identified as Priority or Focus

                                                
 § 6A:33-2.1. Schools identified as Priority or Focus 
 
(a) The bottom five percent of Title I schools, that is, those schools that receive Federal funding pursuant to the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, reauthorized as the Elementary and Secondary Act of 1965, 20 U.S.C. §§6301 et seq., that meet the criteria noted in (a)1, 2, or 3 below shall be designated by the Department as Priority Schools, with the exception of schools with a median Student Growth Percentile (SGP) of 65 or higher, or high schools with average yearly increases greater than five percentage points in High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA) proficiency rates: 
 
1. All current or formally designated Tier I or Tier II schools under the school improvement grant (SIG) program that are using SIG funds to implement a school intervention model;
 
2. All schools qualifying for Federal funds pursuant to Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Act of 1965 with the lowest absolute levels of proficiency as measured on State assessments; or
 
3. Any non-Title I school ranking below the highest ranked Title I school and that meets the criteria noted in (a)1 or 2 above.
 
(b) The bottom 10 percent of Title I schools that are not categorized as Priority Schools and meet one or more of the following criteria shall be designated by the Department as Focus Schools: 
 
1. All Title I-eligible or -participating high schools not previously identified as a Priority School and with a graduation rate of less than 75 percent;
 
2. All schools with the largest within-school proficiency gap between the highest-performing subgroup and the average proficiency of the two lowest-performing subgroups. Only subgroups that contain at least 30 students, represent at least five percent of the total student population, and have a SGP score below 65 shall be included;
 
3. All schools with their two lowest-performing subgroups ranking among the lowest combined proficiency rates in the State. Only subgroups that contain at least 30 students, represent at least five percent of the total student population, and have a SGP score below 65 shall be included; or
 
4. Any non-Title I school ranking below the highest-ranked Title I school that meets the criteria noted in (b)1, 2, or 3 above.
 
(c) The State assessments data, graduation rates, and median SGPs used to determine Priority and Focus School designation shall be based on the 2008-2009, 2009-2010, and 2010-2011 school years.
 
(d) A school becomes eligible to exit status as a Priority School only if it meets the following criteria: 
 
1. Fails to meet the definition of a Priority School for two consecutive years after implementation of a SIP;
 
2. Successfully implements all interventions required through the QSR, as determined by the RAC; and
 
3. Reduces by 25 percent the number of students not demonstrating proficiency on Statewide assessments over a three-year period after implementation of the SIP. A high school shall have reduced by 25 percent the number of students not graduating over a three-year period after implementation of the SIP; and/or demonstrated high growth for two consecutive years after SIP implementation, as measured by a SGP score of 65 or higher.
 
(e) A school becomes eligible to exit status as a Focus School only if meets the following criteria: 
 
1. Fails to meet the definition of a Focus School for two consecutive years after implementation of the SIP;
 
2. Successfully implements all interventions required through the QSR, as determined by the RAC;
 
3. Meets over a three-year period annual measurable objectives for its lowest-performing subgroups if status was based on proficiency rates of the two lowest-performing subgroups; and/or demonstrates high growth for two consecutive years after implementation of the SIP, as measured by SGP of 65 or higher; or
 
4. Reduces by 25 percent the number of students not graduating over a three year period after implementation of the SIP if the high school's status was based on graduation rates.