... about the curriculum
Are Montclair teachers certified?
 All
of the district’s regular teachers have earned either
state or national certification in a fully accredited academic
program.
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If a student is classified
as a Special Education student, can he or she ever return
to the general education population?
Yes.
Many students who make good progress in their Special Education
curriculum do return to general education classes.
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What is the STARS program?
Project
STARS is a free, district-wide academic support program
for students in grades one through twelve. STARS students
can receive assistance in math, reading, language arts or
all three subjects. Eligible students are identified for
the program based on report card grades and/or standardized
test scores and teacher recommendations. Assessment for
the STARS program takes place at the end of each school
year. Instruction in the STARS program takes place during
the school year and over the summer. For more information
about STARS, contact Terry Trigg-Scales in the Department
of Instruction at 973/ 509-4030.
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What is the SAIL program?
SAIL,
which stands for Students Accelerated in Learning, is a
district-wide program that launched in early 2005 and will
be fully operational during the 2005-2006 school year. It
was designed to provide academically gifted and talented
youngsters with enrichment opportunities in language arts
and math during the school day. Students are selected for
the SAIL program through a combination of test scores, grades,
teacher recommendations and interviews. The Montclair SAIL
program fulfills the New Jersey Department of Education
Gifted and Talented mandate for public schools. For more
information about the SAIL program, contact Jean Wuensch
in the Department of Instruction at 973/ 509-4038.
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What are all those acronyms for
standardized tests?
Elementary
school students take the New Jersey Assessment of Skills
and Knowledge in the third and fourth grades. It’s
called the NJASK 3 and the NJASK4. The Terra Nova is a national
test administered to fifth, sixth and seventh graders, and
to ninth and tenth graders.
The other two big standardized tests are the Grade Eight
Proficiency Assessment (GEPA) and the High School Proficiency
Assessment (HSPA).
The PSAT, SAT and the ACT are tests administered to high
school students who want to apply to college. Unlike the
other standardized tests, which are mandatory, the SAT and
ACT are optional.
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