Eighteen Teachers Moved at Brackman

In addition to principals being moved in Barnegat, 18 teachers are being moved within the Brackman Middle School, according to a presentation at the Brackman school last night.

In response to a question at the the informational meeting last night on administrative changes at the school, Superintendent Karen Wood and Director of Curriculum and Instruction Anthony Scotto  told a packed auditorium that 18 teachers are being moved within the school, but only within their specialty.

Scotto said that it is important to note that all of the teachers within that school are certified to teach the sixth through eighth-grade levels. He said these moves, along with shifts in principals, are in preparation for national and statewide pushes in education.

Wood noted "the moves were not made because of tenure. They were made so that we can deliver the best for our students, and they were carefully considered before they were changed."

Scotto specifically honed in on state-mandated four levels of proficiency that will be required under the specifically: planning and proficiency, classroom environment, instruction, and professional responsibility.

Wood said the district has adopted the Danielson model, as their measuring stick to ensure these levels of proficiency are being met. She said under this model, the teachers often work in groups to bring about the needed changes, and the moves within the school will best allocate teachers and groups.

Wood said that although last year's standardized sixth grade scores would only be available next week, she said that she knows the teachers in Brackman have been working hard to integrate all of the necessary changes. As of last year, Brackman and the other Barnegat school either met or exceeded state standards, but they were compared with other districts that were similar to them. In addition, in the accompanying video, Scotto states the schools have a plan to prepare for standardized tests.

However, under TEACH NJ, all state schools will be measured uniformly.
Scotto acknowledged there may have been some concerns and even fear among the administrators and teachers when they heard about the changes, however, he said, many teachers have emailed him also saying how "excited" they are as the change, and eager to weigh in on the changes.

Union representative Lou Balk said he had not heard any negative feedback about the changes as of last night, adding "sometimes change is healthy."

As reported on Patch last week, other changes for the disrict are: Dr. Joseph Saxton will be moving from the High School to the Robert L. Horbelt Elementary School, and Stephen Nichol will be moving from Russell O. Brackman Middle School to the High School. Scott Kiewe will move to a special education position.

The moves will leave a vacancy in the middle school's top spot, which was posted yesterday.

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