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Freehold Township presents new student-growth targets; district outlines AI guidelines and restorative practices rollout
Summary
District staff presented new districtwide student-growth goals built on I‑Ready diagnostics, announced preschool and MyPath implementation updates, reported two founded harassment incidents and said a district AI committee is drafting usage guidelines while restorative practices expand.
At a regular meeting of the Freehold Township School District Board of Education, district staff presented student‑growth goals for the 2025–26 school year built from I‑Ready diagnostic data and outlined related academic and program changes.
District presenter Miss Montgomery said the district used I‑Ready diagnostics to set “typical growth” goals—benchmarks I‑Ready uses nationally—and that districts usually see 50–60% of students meet that typical growth. Montgomery said the district set school‑level, grade‑band growth targets and that the district’s intent is to expect growth from every student, not focus narrowly on a single subskill. She said the district is targeting roughly a 5 percentage‑point increase in the share of students meeting typical growth at many schools, reflecting differences in each school’s starting place.
Montgomery said the district’s MyPath personalized learning pathway is now in place earlier in the year than last year; students have been on MyPath for several weeks and staff expect that will support meeting the new goals. She also said a preschool foundations program will be used with 4‑ and 5‑year‑olds to teach early literacy objectives and that teachers will use the district’s Creative Curriculum developmental rubric to measure progress for children entering kindergarten next year.
The presentation also covered behavior and program changes. The administrative report noted two incidents of harassment, intimidation, and bullying since the last meeting; both investigations were marked “founded.” Montgomery described an expansion of restorative practices: administrators received training in restorative‑justice conferencing last spring and the district will pursue additional restorative‑practice professional development for elementary staff this year, including school‑based coaching in responsive classroom techniques.
On artificial intelligence, Montgomery said the district established an AI committee over the summer with representative teachers from across grades to draft guidelines for staff and students. She said the district intends to develop guidelines first and “live with” them — adjusting before adopting formal policy — and that the district has received a policy alert the team will review and incorporate as it finalizes guidance.
Why it matters: the new growth targets and instructional changes drive curriculum and staff 지원 decisions for the year, preschool changes affect kindergarten readiness measurement, restorative practices shape how discipline and conflict are handled, and the AI guidelines will set expectations for staff and students as tools become more widely used.
Board follow‑up: board members asked for progress updates; the board president said committee chairs will report on goal progress at a future meeting, potentially in November.
