• Category 3

    Selected in 2020

  • Grades: 6 - 8
    School Setting: urban
    Town Population: 242,666
    Student Enrollment: 729
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 8%
    White/Caucasian: 25.8%
    Hispanic: 58.4%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0.5%
    Asian: 5.8%
    Native American: 0%
    Other: 1.5%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:14
    % Reduced Lunch: 50%
    % ELL Learners: 6%
    Founded: 1933
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Michael Cardone
  • CONTACT:
    75 First St
    Lodi, NJ 07644
    973-478-8662
    michael.cardone@lodi.k12.nj.us
Thomas Jefferson Middle School
Lodi, NJ
School improvement is at the core of our mission, vision, and values.
Describe specific programs in place to ensure that families are involved in the success of your school and students.
Programs to ensure family engagement are LEAP, classroom library launch, communication with families via (SIS), Google Classroom, Class Dojo, Twitter, food/clothing drives, school concerts, guidance programs to SEL, school sporting events, and student council activities.
Describe the most successful activity your school has initiated to strengthen ties to your community.
The Thomas Jefferson Middle School has recently partnered with the Lodi Boys Club in offering an after school program called LEAP. LEAP offers families the opportunity for their child/children to attend activities both instructional and recreational that are taught by certified teachers. Students have the opportunity to gain extra help in content areas as well as life skills such as cooking, technology skills, and sports.
Describe your philosophy of school change or improvement.
Our philosophy on school improvement is one where the school’s mission, vision, and core values are at the center. It is critical for the school leader to continually monitor the progress of all aspects of the school in order for improvement to take place. My goal for continuous improvement is to always make the school more effective for each student, teachers and staff, families, and the community. Focusing on instructional, strategic, and community aspects would achieve the vision, fulfill the mission, and promote the core values of the school. We are continually implementing new programs to support curriculum and instruction and state standards, launching 1:1 device initiative, and upgrading school resources and infrastructure to provide more opportunities for students. School improvement is an essential component for student success which is the cornerstone of our achievement.
What are your school’s top two goals for the next year?
Two goals for the following school year is to launch a 1:1 device initiative with the technology department and implement a new math series.
What is the single most important factor in the success of your school that others could replicate?
The single most important factor is the implementation of effective professional communities that disaggregate data, run both horizontally and vertically and that incorporate a mentor/coach with the supervisor providing ongoing support and feedback. The continuous feedback to teachers is the key to professional growth. All of these components drive meaningful instructional decisions.
Describe the program or initiative that has had the greatest positive effect on student achievement, including closing achievement or opportunity gaps, if applicable.
The implementation of the Readers/Writers Workshop Model has by far had the greatest positive effect on student achievement as well as closing the achievement gap in all sub groups. The supervisor of ELA launched the balanced literacy program which made a great shift regarding increasing reading stamina in our students and strengthening both reading and writing skills in students. Achievement gaps were closed among our special education population, ELL, and general education groups. Furthermore, the passion for reading literature, student engagement, and literacy skills have improved tremendously among our student population and were recognized on prior state test results.
Explain how ESEA federal funds are used to support your improvement efforts.
The ESEA Federal Funds will be utilized to continue our instructional programs as well as programs to support family engagement/SEL.
Identify the critical professional development activities you use to improve teaching and student learning.
The critical professional development component to improve teaching and learning is the collaboration with a literacy mentor/coach. Through collaborative PLC sessions, the content specialist mentors/coaches teachers. There are also lesson demonstrations that take place and conferencing with teachers that are tailored to their strengths and areas to improve on. This mentoring/coaching approach allows the professional development to be more meaningful providing the opportunity for professional growth within the teacher which fosters the ability to reach all students’ learning needs accordingly yielding success.
Describe how data is used to improve student achievement and inform decision making.
Under the supervision of the building principal and supervisor of curriculum and instruction, data is disaggregated to make instructional decisions. Data within each content area department is analyzed. State test scores, benchmark assessments, student assessments are disaggregated against the grade level standards to identify areas of strengths and weaknesses. This data is then used to drive instructional decision as well as to develop constructive professional learning communities. (PLCs)

Describe your school culture and explain changes you’ve taken to improve it.
The Thomas Jeffersom Middle school has an extremely positive school climate where all students feel comfortable, secure, safe, accepted, and valued. Administration, staff, and all personnel recognize, respect, and employ every students’ strengths, diversity, and culture as assets for teaching and learning. It is a critical goal of the leaders in the buildings to promote a positive climate and culture within the staff and to ensure that all are treated fairly and respectfully.
Stats
  • Category 3

    Selected in 2020

  • Grades: 6 - 8
    School Setting: urban
    Town Population: 242,666
    Student Enrollment: 729
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 8%
    White/Caucasian: 25.8%
    Hispanic: 58.4%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0.5%
    Asian: 5.8%
    Native American: 0%
    Other: 1.5%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:14
    % Reduced Lunch: 50%
    % ELL Learners: 6%
    Founded: 1933
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Michael Cardone
  • CONTACT:
    75 First St
    Lodi, NJ 07644
    973-478-8662
    michael.cardone@lodi.k12.nj.us