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North Brunswick middle school leaders cite improved attendance, discipline and pilot new math curriculum
Summary
School leaders at North Brunswick Township Middle School reported drops in chronic absenteeism and suspensions, outlined academic interventions and extracurricular growth, and announced a pilot of Amplified Desmos math for grades 5–Algebra I.
Rick Slover, principal of North Brunswick Township Middle School, told the North Brunswick Township Board of Education on Jan. 15 that the school has made measurable gains in attendance and discipline while expanding academic supports and electives. "We are at 14 [percent chronic absenteeism] right now and holding steady," Slover said, and reported a "35% reduction in school consequences," a 23% reduction in in-school suspensions and a 75% reduction in out-of-school suspensions compared with the prior year.
Slover summarized the school's schedule and program changes as drivers of academic recovery after the pandemic, saying longer core class periods and daily life-skills blocks have allowed students to receive interventions in both math and English simultaneously. He described pilot supports such as extended homeroom Wednesdays intended as monthly extra-help periods and the Flex PLC schedule that lets teachers collaborate across subjects.
A math presenter described a district task force that vetted curricula for grades 5 through Algebra I and "unanimously selected Amplified Desmos Math" for a classroom pilot beginning after Presidents Day. The presenter said the math and science data team had disaggregated NJSLA results and identified fluency gaps (multiples and factors) that will be addressed through tiered, classroom-wide interventions.
Dr. Rich, supervisor of special education, outlined community-based instruction aligned to students' IEPs, expanded multisensory reading supports and a Thrive mental-health screening process used to target tiered social-emotional interventions. "We work closely with counseling staff to analyze the screener and provide a multi-tiered level of supports for our students," Dr. Rich said.
Kei DWI, supervisor of language arts and social studies, described a building-wide emphasis on writing using strategies from The Writing Revolution and adaptive vocabulary work through the MEBE program to improve comprehension across subjects. Assistant principal Amy Rafano described PBIS incentives, peer tutoring and more than 23 clubs that she said provide after-school engagement for 85–120 students on typical days, supported by late buses.
The presentations also highlighted extracurricular growth—15 athletic teams, expanded arts and a growing TV/production program—and a STEM Parent Academy scheduled for June 4. The board thanked the middle school staff and volunteers and said it will continue to support the school's academic and social-emotional priorities.
The board took no formal votes on these program presentations during the conference portion of the meeting; the session continued with routine business and later returned to open session after a closed personnel discussion.
