Hoboken Schools Do Not Meet Adequate Yearly Progress

The members of Hoboken's board of education were caught off guard on Tuesday night, when a member of the public showed them the results of the annual Quality Single Accountability Continuum (QSAC) district review, which indicated that the the district "did not satisfy at least 80% of the weighed indicators in the area of instruction and program."

Local resident Theresa Burns, who attends school board meetings regularly, accused board members of painting a "falsely rosy picture" of the state of the district.

"Test scores have yet to be made public," Burns said also.

According to a letter—dated July 8, 2011—from the state, Hoboken will have to complete a "District Improvement Plan detailing the district's strategies for improvement in those areas in which 80 percent of the indicators were not satisfied."

In the area of instruction and program, Hoboken scored 69 percent, according to the QSAC report.

Superintendent Mark Toback said that because Hoboken didn't meet its Adequate Yearly Progress—as mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act—an automatic 20 points were already deducted from the perfect 100 percent score.

"While it sounds alarming," Toback said, "we did quite well in a number of other areas."

Toback didn't elaborate more on the results of the QSAC report. "I didn't come tonight prepared for this discussion," he said. He said he will discuss the matter during next month's school board meeting.