[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6497524,"mediaKeyId","5611518-8e382dc0409179c3688c8d0233a5a49b","parentId",5611518,"title","Bound Brook reports strong ACCESS gains; district expands dual-language and Spanish offerings","audioSeconds",2437,"startMs",3184000,"endMs",5621000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5611518-8e382dc0409179c3688c8d0233a5a49b&start=3184&end=5621","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5611518-8e382dc0409179c3688c8d0233a5a49b/thumbnail_3184000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6497524/New-Jersey/Bound-Brook-reports-strong-ACCESS-gains-district-expands-dual-language-and-Spanish-offerings","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6497524-e98ce812d34cef1f3f34b3aa89dfdaeb/orig.mp4?Expires=1774846331&Signature=Tn7~~kPHAkdNKBRmm7~QgruJLUJfFPj0Mqav4NbWsmmMIF9XjI1mT16YeITpfNYev5v1fyWLdYiHKxeCdagzKbfGPJW5eRgcxfCj8HUatMKqP~V9SbMMjvr6GcIiKskmMdxoHFXsg6YedoY6vexMgk9FHp-XFpzzZFSfNRVamMcqNmDOHBFmJMNrxE~9LsT1jMfGL11hQaVbGfckwRfacSUf~dUIrSH~UjSVRmfLkJh2Oz-xt9y7hEeiMPS2vkGOi-1gSDmnz-isxVS15HbelgNReu-MiXWhMBQQQ3ebhfNykNX~pa-VbomY~RHJQOtxy8LEGwi5TqBXgz2G7vaBEQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Bound Brook School District","date","2025-08-21T00:09:16.617Z","article","A district staff member identified in the meeting as Claudia presented the Bound Brook Board of Education with ACCESS English-proficiency results and a multi-year comparison showing measurable gains for multilingual learners following expansion of the district\tdual-language program.

Claudia said ACCESS (New Jersey\repartment of Education/WIDA assessment) measures listening, speaking, reading and writing and noted that this year the district mailed individual student reports in English and the student\u000family's home language in line with NJDOE guidance. \"From that score, we get ... can-do descriptors, which gives us a picture of what the student can do at each of those proficiency levels across the four domains,\" she said.

Key data presented: district staff reported 676 identified multilingual learners as of the week of the presentation, with 70 additional students in process on the WIDA screener; if all are identified the total could reach about 743 multilingual learners, which the presenter said would be roughly 35% of the student population. Claudia said 587 multilingual learners were tested this year (excluding pre-K 3 and 4), 18 were parent refusals and 40 students met exit criteria this year (most scoring above the 4.5 threshold used for exit); of the 40 exits, 29 were in grades 1\u0006.

Claudia walked trustees through cohort-by-cohort improvements: in the cohort that moved from kindergarten to first grade, the district saw a large shift out of the lower proficiency bands into \"developing\" and \"expanding\" categories over about a year to 18 months of instruction in the dual-language model. The presentation compared 2022
nd 2023 results and showed larger gains after the first and second year of a full-time dual-language program in K\u0006.

Program expansions and next steps described by staff:
- Start dual-language in pre-K 4 in January of the school year (with training for preschool teachers from September through December).
- Continue full-time dual-language K\u0006.
- Add Spanish language-arts courses at the middle school for dual-language students and optional Spanish-language arts and heritage-speaker courses at the high school.
- Provide ESL levels 1' and integrated English-language arts levels 1' at the middle school, with an advanced ESL offering for the first time.
- Maintain high-intensity ESL and develop Spanish-for-heritage-speakers pathways, honors, AP and dual-enrollment options at the high school.

Claudia reported staffing totals: 14 bilingual Spanish/world-language teachers, 7 English world-language teachers in the dual-language program, 13 ESL teachers (K\u00012), and 7 world-language teachers districtwide (one French teacher noted). She said the district will continue sheltered-instruction professional development and dual-language training for newly hired teachers.

Board members praised the gains and the staff's work. One trustee said the improvements \"humble\" her and another noted that staffing bilingual/dual-language programs requires local hiring efforts and active outreach to universities; trustees thanked staff for recruiting student teachers and for recent hires that reduced the need for schedule changes.

Claudia also discussed parent outreach: the district mailed ACCESS reports to families in English and in the home language and plans to reestablish a bilingual parent advisory committee and offer at least three parent workshops for multilingual families during the school year. Board members raised parent refusals as a communications concern and discussed using district outreach to encourage participation.

Claudia said some of the district\u000english-proficiency gains were especially notable at the elementary grades and that long-term multilingual learners at the high school show slower gains because they did not benefit from a dual-language program earlier. Board members asked staff to continue tracking cohorts and to present comparative analyses of current cohorts as they progress through the system.

No formal vote on program changes or new courses was recorded in the meeting; staff described the planned course and staffing changes as program implementation steps for the coming year.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Board Meeting 8-20-2025","oneSentenceSummary","District staff presented ACCESS English-proficiency results showing gains among multilingual learners after the dual-language program's expansion, reported current and projected multilingual learner counts, and outlined program expansions for preschool, middle and high school.","taxTitle","Bound Brook School District, School Districts, New Jersey","taxId",38828,"location","New Jersey","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6497526,"Bound Brook board reviews self-evaluation, agrees to four continuing goals",2445,115000,2560000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5611518-8e382dc0409179c3688c8d0233a5a49b&start=115&end=2560","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5611518-8e382dc0409179c3688c8d0233a5a49b/thumbnail_115000.jpg","/articles/6497526/New-Jersey/Bound-Brook-board-reviews-self-evaluation-agrees-to-four-continuing-goals","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6497526-8c799af11115edf79a088fa107b7aaa3/orig.mp4?Expires=1774846331&Signature=VT7D789GkJ2i0jy3IPf0Ztk5wrCArgNcIsCDEUpZ1~-cGpbNXi8~92Xu7iOzlmNGZkLdpA4yxT2meDcAcseZVEnAt0NfzpaBbHimtHlq7gxgrpHQYLqC33b7HD9yZffimIMG87qVJYfnmz9~QkfrNJgrH-KdCoqYVfr8de8sTcxXYdEusGB3A6a5YbPmQo1x80hXcH96Mxrm82Xzn~8H8YL2fwg~OsbXw5RuaT1M9saKKOC02oOOyXGz7Vq4JRp761SqN8PBM-l0NG3YQSp0PKgYM-vlMmgTC1xWd~w82ZXh4REql3pEhBPEowCFSZdnvUjvfbp1~m1lb0kjoFfvag__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Mary Ann Friedman, a field representative from the New Jersey School Boards Association, led the Bound Brook Board of Education through a new board self-evaluation and an abbreviated goal-setting session, concluding with the board agreeing to advance four continuing goals and to ask the superintendent and administrative team to develop action plans.

Friedman told trustees the district\fompleted the new tool with strong results: \"Anything in the regular standards that's a 3 or above is a board that's working effectively together.\" She said the board's averages were all above that threshold and highlighted resource management and governance team relationships as particular strengths.

Why it matters: board goals define what the board will evaluate the superintendent on and shape district priorities and action plans. Friedman and board members outlined a timetable for periodic progress reviews in November, January, March and June and recommended the superintendent deliver action plans that specify activities, responsible parties, resources, timelines and success indicators.

Trustees reiterated four continuing priorities for the coming year: continue advancing student achievement by providing the support and resources necessary to implement the district strategic plan; continue supporting and expanding course offerings and extracurricular activities; continue supporting administration in recruiting and retaining staff that reflect the community; and continue strengthening two-way communication with families and community members. Friedman said the board should limit the number of formal goals (ideally no more than five) so work remains focused.

Board members discussed how goals relate to the district'9s strategic plan and agreed that the superintendent should recommend district goals that the board then approves. Friedman emphasized that district goals are the superintendent's responsibility to implement and that the board should collaborate on and evaluate those goals because they become part of the superintendent's statutory evaluation.

Trustees and Friedman discussed the board self-evaluation results in more detail: the board scored highest in governance team relationships and resource management and lowest in the policy standard, in part because some members rated the board lower on encouraging development of regulations to guide policy implementation. Friedman noted the superintendent develops regulations and that clarification could raise that item.

On process, the board agreed action plans could be developed by committees or by the superintendent's administrative team and that the board should adopt final district and board goals in September with the first formal progress report in November. Friedman said she would send a memo and sample action-plan templates to the board the following day and that the NJSBA could provide targeted professional development to help trustees and the new business administrator understand financial reports.

Board members asked that communication goals emphasize two-way outreach from community to the district as well as district-to-community messaging. Trustees also asked staff to consider whether any cooperative goals with South Bound Brook should be included and whether board professional development (for example, NJSBA's Academy) should be a continuing item. Several members urged keeping the goals broad enough to let the action plans define specific tactics.

Board members and Friedman closed by agreeing the board would review the board self-evaluation comments and the sample action-plan template and return in September with formal goal language and adopted action plans to present to the public.

","At an August meeting, a New Jersey School Boards Association representative reviewed the board's new self-evaluation tool and helped trustees refine four continuing board goals; the board and superintendent will develop action plans and periodic progress reviews.","actionData","errors"]

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Bound Brook reports strong ACCESS gains; district expands dual-language and Spanish offerings

Bound Brook board reviews self-evaluation, agrees to four continuing goals