Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the District Goals topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Hawthorne district unveils 2025–26 goals, proposes middle-school acceleration and expanded dual enrollment
Summary
Superintendent McNally presented district and board goals for 2025–26, outlining an elective expo, expanded dual‑enrollment partnerships, a K–5 gifted reboot and a new middle‑school 1A accelerated pathway intended to lead students to honors, AP and college credits.
Superintendent McNally presented the Hawthorne Public School District's goals for the 2025–26 school year at the board's regular meeting, emphasizing expanded pathways to college and careers, increased family engagement and continued attention to rigorous instruction.
McNally said the district will launch an Elective Expo for middle school students, expand dual‑enrollment offerings with partner colleges, return to a more robust elementary gifted program, and create a new Middle School 1A Accelerated pathway intended to move prepared students into honors, advanced placement and dual‑enrollment sequences in high school.
The plans include an Elective Expo in which high school students and staff will present high‑school elective programs to seventh‑ and eighth‑grade students during the school day, followed by a parent night for families. McNally said the goal is to give middle‑school students “valuable insight” into courses and career pathways and to expose families to options earlier in students' academic careers.
On dual enrollment, McNally identified existing partnerships with Ramapo, Seton Hall, William Paterson, Fairleigh Dickinson and Passaic County Community College. He said the district currently offers 18 dual‑enrollment programs across disciplines (criminal justice, physics, broadcasting, computer science and others), with some courses offered free this year. McNally noted that teachers who deliver dual‑enrollment courses are treated as adjunct college faculty for those classes.
The Middle School 1A Accelerated pathway will offer three pathway tracks: STEM (math and science), Humanities (ELA and social studies) and Unity (all four core content areas). The presentation described a sample math progression that would allow students to take Algebra I by eighth grade (option 2): combined sixth/seventh math in sixth grade, pre‑algebra in seventh and Algebra I in eighth. Science and humanities pathways similarly accelerate content and assessment to prepare students for honors and AP‑level work in high school.
Eligibility for the 1A program will be determined using multiple measures: NJSLA scores, standards‑based assessments, I‑Ready percentile rankings, a rubric for critical thinking and academic behaviors, and placement tests when appropriate. McNally said the district will review students “holistically” rather than rely on a single data point.
The district also plans a K–5 reboot of gifted and talented services and a districtwide focus on professional development, individualized assessments and “data days” so teachers can plan instruction around student needs. McNally said testing data show gains and that the district will present a testing report next month.
Board president remarks said the board developed three board goals after a July retreat with the New Jersey School Boards Association: adopt a new mission and vision through inclusive engagement, celebrate and elevate student and staff achievement, and strengthen board governance and meeting structure. The board intends to set action steps, timelines and public reporting to measure progress.
Student council representative Jonathan Barbarici addressed the board earlier in the meeting, describing school‑year events and student activities. He said the start of 2025–26 “has been not only a positive one, but also an exciting” time for students and staff.
The superintendent also reported required SSDS (school safety) data for the 2024–25 school year: 21 total reported incidents for the spring reporting period, including eight incidents of violence (fights), 12 incidents of substance abuse (primarily vaping), zero incidents of vandalism, zero incidents involving weapons and one confirmed HIV case; McNally said those numbers were down from the prior year.
No board action was required to present the goals; the presentation will be posted to the district website and discussed in upcoming meetings and committee work as the administration develops implementation steps.
