Middlesex County Vocational & Technical Schools 7

C u r r i c u l u m a n d I n s t r u c t i o n

The career major and academic programs offered by the district are guided by state-mandated courses and graduation requirements, the labor market, articulation with sending school districts, and recommendations by advisory committee members, employers, and other members of the community. Programs are reviewed and revised on a five-year cycle. During the 2013-2014 school year, 14 courses of study were approved by the board.

Career Major Programs

Career and technical education programs continued to be revised according to the format proposed by the New Jersey Department of Education and the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (2006). Each grade level is divided into a sequence of courses that prepare students for college and career readiness. According to the five-year plan, the following career clusters were revised and submitted for program approval or re-approval: Information Technology, and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

Academic Programs

During the 2013-14 school year, supervisors worked with teachers to ensure the Common Core State Standards in Math and English Language Arts (ELA) were properly implemented and the results of common assessments were used in ELA and Math were analyzed. In preparation for the PARCC assessments set to take place in spring 2015, several of our schools participated in field tests during the school year. Social Studies and Science curricula were aligned with the Literacy in Social Studies and Science Standards, and plans for improving informational reading and delivering more rigorous projects in these classes were developed. The PARCC Assessments will begin in the 2014-2015 school year and will be taken via computers. We continue to integrate new technology into the classroom and look for ways to improve online access for students. Integrating technology into instruction is beneficial to improving student engagement and differentiating instruction.

This year, we placed an emphasis on using common standards-based assessments at the end of each unit to inform instruction. During the summer, teachers refined the standards-based unit assessments used during 2013-14 and establishrd a written protocol for remediation. Teachers in Math and ELA incorporated PARCC-like tools into classroom instruction by intentionally incorporating technology into our standards-based scope and sequence for each course. The district administers NWEA Math and Reading Tests in the fall and spring of each year; teachers use data from these tests to determine student learning growth and to group students for maximized learning potential during classroom instruction. Data from both the NWEA and HSPA tests will be used to better adapt instructional techniques and strategies to student abilities. In 2013-14, we met the statewide testing participation rate of 95 percent and the statewide performance goal for all of our subgroups in both Language Arts Literacy and Math for all schools within our district.

T i t l e I P r o g r a mThe Title I program is designed for those students who have been identified as needing additional academic help in the areas of Mathematics and English Language Arts (ELA). It has been designed specifically to assist these students to function properly in their chosen vocational areas and to meet the State of New Jersey requirements for graduation from high school.

During 2013-14, the Title I program provided at-risk students with extra support in math and reading. Participants are identified through multiple measures. Entrance criteria include final grade averages in previous courses, NJASK and HSPA scores, and NWEA test scores in reading and math. Exit criteria include achieving or surpassing typical growth on the NWEA tests, final grades of C or better in current math or English courses, passing HSPA, and a lexile score of 1,000 or better in reading. Before- and after-school and Saturday tutoring were available for at-risk students.

The Title I program provided three specialized supplemental courses of math instruction to Title 1 students during the 2013-14 school year. Teachers used research-based instructional approaches to assist eligible students in meeting the state standards and requirements for graduation. These courses supplement and support the regular education program of the school. Examples of this supplemental assistance include extended learning time, accelerated high quality curriculum, upgrading the instructional practice of teachers, and helping students make transitions.

Middlesex County Vocational & Technical Schools 9

The Cooperative Education Program continues to offer students an opportunity to apply the skills and knowledge of their career-major training toward employment. Eighty-three seniors participated in the program this year at businesses in and around Middlesex County. Approximately 90 percent of these students secured full-time positions at their Cooperative Education sites. Three Cooperative Education coordinators provided classroom and workplace-readiness instruction, as well as day-to-day job-site contacts necessary to monitor student progress and on-the-job performance.

• Students employed by 67 businesses earned more than $350,000 during the school year.

• Many of our employers are past graduates of Middlesex County Vocational and Technical High Schools.

• Employers have continued to choose our students for employment through the Cooperative Education Program for as long as 20 years.

• Students have passed entrance tests for acceptance into apprentice training programs.

Cooperative Education Program

Middlesex County Vocational and Technical Schools provide a full array of program options to approximately 600 students with disabilities in more than 20 career and technical programs. Special Needs programs are offered at three of our campuses, which are conveniently located throughout the county. Middlesex County Vocational and Technical Schools offer an array of academic services from general education to a replacement resource-room program.

The Middlesex County Vocational and Technical School District has provided a variety of program options for students with disabilities since 1977. Entitlement and competitive grants, in conjunction with local funding, have enabled the school district to enhance educational and support services for students and their families throughout the years.

Any student who has been classified by the Department of Special Services of his/her local school district is eligible for participation in our Special Needs programs. Program placements are provided consistent with each student’s educational needs as defined by his/her Individual Educational Program (IEP).

Career Development Program

Career ChoicesThe Career Choices program is located at the Woodbridge Campus and provides an exploratory program for eighth-grade students with disabilities. While enrolled in this shared-time program, students have the opportunity to explore three major career and technical education clusters. The clusters are: Construction Technology, Food and Health Technology, and Digital Media Technology. Through shop practice and related theory, students have an opportunity to demonstrate potential for eventual placement in a full-time or shared-time career and technical school program.

The Career Choices program continues to function as a vital part of the Special Education Department, as the majority of the eighth-grade students who attend return to our school district as ninth-graders in September.

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Student Achievements

Ten Edison Academy seniors were named National Merit Semifinalists: Benjamin Chen, Erwin Feng, Rutmi Goradia, Varun Gupta, Maria Kaufman, Jarod Morin, Aakash Parekh, Malya Sahu, Faith Szeto and Lf Mathew Tan. Eleven others were named Commended Students: Ayana Chawla, Maulik Doshi, Gregory Goldshteyn, Anand Iyer, John Lorenc, Shrey Mendiratta, Raj Patel, Shruti Pohane, Kipsy Quevada, Nicole Vaynshtok and Vaishnavi Warrier.

East Brunswick junior Imani Redman was accepted into the Theatre Development Fund WordLab to study playwriting with a select number of students under the direction of Noelle Ghoussaini.

Six Woodbridge Academy seniors were named Commended Students in the 2014 National Merit Scholarship Program: Abhilsaha Borad, Amanda Gardner, Shruti Jadhav, Anjali Patel, Akash Ranpura and Ibraheem Shaikh.

East Brunswick School of the Arts/Theater sophomore Kimani Isaac was one of two winners in the Project FENCES costume design contest. The competition engaged high school and undergraduate students from around the country in an exploration of playwright August Wilson’s masterwork “Fences.”

Abhishek Lingineni of the Edison Academy placed third in the New Jersey Society of Professional Land Surveyors 2013 TrigStar exam.

Edison Academy students Vivek Jain, electrical/computer engineering, and Pranav Subramanian, civil/mechanical engineering, were selected by NASA to participate in summer internships.

Perth Amboy heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration students Adonis Conde, Jovanny Contreras-Melendez, Luis Medina, Ruby Diez, Ezekiel Ortiz, Daniel Deschamps, Carlos Vega, Christopher Galarza, and Erick Echeverria passed the EPA certification exam. Arianna Lee Albino, Delcris Moya, Gonzalo Bazan, Harras Anjum, Noel Garay, Alejandro Planell, Alex Tejada, and Shalina Valentin passed the gas heat employment ready test.

Peter Dudek, a Piscataway ornamental land agriculture student, was selected to receive the Garden State FFA Degree, the highest FFA degree a state association can bestow on its members.

The Woodbridge Academy Debate Team participated in the regional competition. The school was represented by two teams who presented on various topics including security vs. privacy and physician-assisted suicide. Both of our teams placed in the top 10 statewide.

Edison Academy junior Prathm Juneja, electrical/computer engineering, attended a Best Delegate program at UCLA this summer and subsequently was accepted as an associate. He was responsible for writing multiple Model UN articles on bestdelegate.com, a website with 350,000 readers from 190 countries.

East Brunswick senior Hayley Trachtenberg was selected as a participant for the 2013-2014 Advanced Playwriting Workshop at the Young Playwrights Center in New York City.

East Brunswick sophomore Hailey Turello was invited by the Universal Cheerleaders Association to participate in the New Year’s Day parade in London.

The Woodbridge Academy had the ninth highest percentage of students scoring “advanced proficient” on the Mathematics State Assessment. Ninety-five percent of seniors scored “advanced proficient.”

Edison Academy delegates to the John P. Stevens Model United Nations Conference distinguished themselves: Freshman Rohan Marwaha received verbal recognition in the General Assembly and freshman Akshat Gokhale won for outstanding delegate in the SPD Committee. Junior Vishaal Kanitkar received a verbal commendation as Mitt Romney at the Republican Convention forum; junior Prathm Juneja won for outstanding delegate in the UNODC Committee; and sophomore Aiyappa Bollera won a first-place gavel as best delegate in the WHO Committee.

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Student Achievements Senior East Brunswick School of the Arts/Theatre student Morgan Montgomery won the Gold Key Award for the New Jersey Regional Scholastic Art Award. This award was sponsored by Montclair State University and will be on display at the Montclair Art Museum.

East Brunswick Career Development participated in the DECA Regional Competition. Fifteen students competed in the Customer Service and Supermarket Careers Events. All 15 students were eligible to compete at the State Competition.

East Brunswick sophomore Dominick Ciampi from Multimedia Art and Design was honored for his design of the 2012-2013 Annual Report cover. Superintendent of Schools Brian Loughlin, Superintendent presented Dominick with a certificate, a framed print of his cover and a gift card.

One hundred forty-eight Edison Academy students participated in the American Mathematical Competition (AMC/12A). Junior Abhishek Lingineni scored the highest (115.5) and was placed on the Distinguished Honor Roll in New Jersey. Junior Arnold Wang with the score of 106.5 was placed on the Honor Roll.

Culinary Instructor Michael Roth’s Second Annual Chili Wars was a great success. East Brunswick students and staff members prepared chili made from a wide variety of meats, spices, beans and vegetables. Students and staff who wanted to be judges purchased tickets during the lunches. Entries were rated by the judges and the highest-rated student and staff recipes were declared winners. Mr. Adochio’s chili recipe took first-place in the teacher category, followed by Mr. Roth and Mr. Feldman. Miranda Dolman took first-place for students.

Students at the Woodbridge Academy participated in their Career and Technology Expo. Six teams of students researched and developed innovations to solve health problems. The winning seniors, Aditi Kamat, Crystal Joseph, Megan Patel and Valeriya Timoshenko, developed the “Clink,” a series of magnets designed to help individuals with digestion.

Forty-two Edison Academy students participated in the 37th annual math contest sponsored by the Association of Mathematics Teachers of New Jersey and took third place statewide. The team included senior Erwin Fen, and juniors Roland Fong, Arnold Wang, Abhishek Lingineni and Raziq Mohideen.

Piscataway carpentry students led by instructor James Wiater and student Brian Suarez made a showcase that will be placed at Middlesex County Courthouse in New Brunswick.

East Brunswick Campus students took five first places at the New Jersey FFA Horticulture Expo at Mercer County College. The winners were sophomores Matthew Manning and Danielle Hamilton and seniors Anne Linke, Torii Mastrella and Sabrina Wardrop. Piscataway FFA members John Prada, and Faith Smith and Peter Dudek also took first-place ribbons.

At the DECA state competition in Cherry Hill, East Brunswick School of Career Development students won the following awards: Supermarket Careers, Mercadyes Smith, first place overall; Breeana Hernandez, second place overall; Janet Campos, third place overall; Allie Ellison and Emily Murray won individual event trophies; Elias Pelaez received honorable mention; Customer Service, Abigail Ramirez, first place overall.

East Brunswick Culinary Arts students Olivia Sisco and Justin Tresch won first place and a gold medal for their roasted chipotle sweet potato soup at the American Culinary Federation Winterfest 2014 Junior Chef hors d’oeuvre competition. Perth Amboy students Michele Infante, Jaliza Rosario, Daisey Chanez and Michelle Montiel also won a gold medal.

The Woodbridge Academy Biology Science League team placed sixth out of 140 teams competing in the league’s statewide competition. Our team consisted of Vraj Shah, Megh Shah, Anusha Patil, Saifol Islam-Ahmed, and Kopal Jha. Kopal Jha, Vraj Shah and Saifol Islam-Ahmed were awarded plaques for having scored in the top 10 percent of all students in the state.

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training at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to help prepare the final proposal. A panel of judges composed of educators, researchers, staff and alumni of MIT, as well as representatives of the industry and former Lemelson-MIT award winners, chose the winners.

The Edison Academy team has enlisted a number of collaborators to mentor the students, including Dr. John Grande, director of the Rutgers Snyder Research and Extension Farm, who specializes in pesticides; Xerxes Vania, an expert on drones for General Atomics Aeronautical Systems who has worked on the Predator military drone; Edison Academy parent James Carr, who coaches the SayWatt robotics team; Dr. Senthil Kumar, an expert on computer vision for Bell Labs; Tom Reed, an aerial crop-spraying expert for Teejet Technologies; Dr. Nenad Bozinovic, an optical engineer for Nistica Inc.; Tony Grace, senior director of engineering for Nistica; Dr. Sunil K. Gupta, senior manager of new product development for IEEE, the father of a team member, and Thomas McNellis, senior Manager at Lockheed Martin, a member of an Edison Academy advisory board.

“This award is an extremely prestigious one,” said Dr. Linda Russo, principal. “Our students were selected as one of the 15 finalists from across the nation. When they first came to me with the grant information, I thought, what a great opportunity for my students to express themselves and share their creativity.

“As the process progressed and the product design was finalized, I was so proud of their enthusiasm and dedication to their invention. I congratulate these students as well as their advisor, Mr. Enzo Paterno, on a job well done! I can’t wait to see the final product!”

Thomas Grimaldi’s dry-cleaning class in the East Brunswick School of Career Development cleaned coats donated to the South River Board of Health for its annual coat drive.

Woodbridge Academy student Shree Nadkarni collected more than 200 cans of food for the Hands of Hope Food Pantry/Soup Kitchen. He also donated a 96-key Casio keyboard and an HP inkjet printer.

Mrs. Shaffer’s afternoon computer applications for business shop in Piscataway collected candy, granola bars, crackers and cookies to put into Halloween goodie bags for a platoon of 40 soldiers stationed in the mountains of Afghanistan. They also made a Halloween card for each of the soldiers.

Piscataway School of Career Development students held a clothing drive for a student in need. Mr. Arango’s apparel services shop cleaned and repaired the clothes.

Woodbridge Academy HOSA and Interact students raised $650 for the American Cancer Society’s “Making Strides Campaign.” Students sold bracelets and T-shirts and participated in the breast cancer walk at Middlesex County College.

Woodbridge Academy HOSA students prepared Thanksgiving greeting cards for members of the Air Force currently serving in Afghanistan.

Perth Amboy culinary arts students participated in the City of Perth Amboy’s annual Thanksgiving dinner for senior citizens. Students prepared 20 turkeys and 10 hams. The Perth Amboy Campus also donated a full Thanksgiving meal to one of its school families.

The Perth Amboy Interact Club spent time serving hot meals and stocking the shelves at the food pantry at the Salvation Army in Perth Amboy.

The Piscataway Campus Future Business Leaders of America Club made holiday cards for the military. With the assistance of the Red Cross, those cards were sent to American service members and veterans around the world.

The Woodbridge Academy collected 365 pounds of consumables for the food pantry at St. James Church in Woodbridge, New Jersey.

Student members of the Junior Auxiliary Club of the Raritan Bay Medical Center raised over $500 for the Medical Center. The funds are being donated to the maternity/pediatric departments.

Over 50 students, staff and family members from the East Brunswick campus attended the annual Big Chill 5K at Rutgers

Community Service

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Honor Societies

NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY

Edison

Emily Choi

Katrina David

Roland Fong

Danielle Hermino

Prathm Juneja

Ritesh Karsalia

Meenal Kumar

Ian Lawson

Abhishek Lingineni

David Melvin

Anton Nelson

Ayushi Pathak

Rishab Pohane

Ryan Rahman

Shubham Sabnani

Akshay Sampath

Himakeerth Tammineedi

Victoria Tang

Woodbridge

Tiffany Ho

Kellie Jadus

Navkiran Kaur

Monique Klitbo

Anjali Patel

Rachel Zakhary

LA SOCIEDAD HONORARIA HISPÁNICA

Edison

Akshitha Ajayan

Emily Choi

Ritesh Karsalia

Prathm Juneja

Danielle Hermino

Victoria Tang

Ronit Sharma

Shreya Sharma

Shreya Shirodkar

Pranav Subramanian

Himakeerth Tammineedi

Aayush Verma

Shree Nadkarni

Pavithra Pandurangan

Amulya Musipatla

Woodbridge

Aishee Bag

Nidhi Baxi

Saloni Jain

Navkiran Kaur

Salman Manzoor

Amisha Naik

Vyvan Nguyen

Anisha Patel

Ruchit Patel

Vidhi Patel

Raphaella Ranjo

Sarah Thomas

Ashwin Upadhye

Navya Vemula

Gayathri Vijayakumar

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Adult Education Department

Evening SchoolNow more than ever before, post-secondary adult learners are eager to improve or acquire career technical education skills. Adults registered for more than 100 skills training courses offered during the evening on the East Brunswick and Piscataway campuses in the fall, winter and spring semesters. Adult learners took classes in areas of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, Architecture and Construction, Arts, A/V Technology and Communications, Business, Management and Administration, Health Science, Hospitality and Tourism, Human Services, Information Technology, Manufacturing, and Transportation, Distribution & Logistics.

Licensed Practical NursingDuring the 2013 calendar year, 92 percent of Middlesex County Adult Technical Schools Practical Nursing Program graduates passed the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX). The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) disseminates NCLEX results to schools of nursing. This report provides information on the number of graduates who tested for the first time during a calendar year and the number and percentage of graduates who passed.

Three recognition ceremonies were held during the 2014 year, one in February and two in May. Having successfully completed more than two-thirds of their academic and clinical work, the students received words of congratulation and encouragement from Dawn M. Lystad, Director of Adult Education, and Joseph Armstead, Principal, Piscataway Campus. Each student was called to the podium to receive a small replica of the Nightingale Lamp.

Five graduating seniors were inducted into the National Technical Honor Society during those ceremonies Students were selected for membership based on their academic achievements and leadership abilities. Each student was presented with the official National Technical Honor Society certificate, pin, membership card and honor stole, which was to be worn at graduation ceremonies.

Two graduation ceremonies were held during the 2014 calendar year. Thirty-three candidates received words of congratulations and encouragement from Superintendent of Schools Brian J. Loughlin and Board of Education President John F. Bicsko Jr. as they were presented with diplomas in Practical Nursing.

Practical Nursing senior student Esther Grace Kelly was the recipient of the Ann Stevens Nursing Scholarship given by Murray Stevens in conjunction with the AARP of East Brunswick. The award was given in memory of Stevens’ wife, Ann, who was registered nurse for many years.

Practical Nursing senior student Vivian Alcindor was the recipient of the New Jersey League for Nursing Licensed Practical Nursing Student Scholarship Award. She was honored at the association’s annual Practical Nurse Student Education Day on April 30, with her classmates and instructor in attendance.

Practical Nursing is offered on the Piscataway campus. Students may apply to take the 15 month daytime or the two-year evening program. The rigorous curriculum includes instruction in Anatomy and Physiology, Microbiology, Pharmacology, Nutrition, Behavioral/Social Sciences, Sociology, Psychology, Contemporary Health Issues, Fundamentals of Nursing, Medical Surgical Nursing I, Medical Surgical Nursing II, Mental Health/Psychiatric Nursing, Obstetrical Nursing and Pediatric Nursing.

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Special Projects

The Middlesex County Vocational and Technical High School District was awarded the following grants for the school year 2013-2014:

Grant/Project Title ................................................... Amount of Award

Adolescent Alcoholic Services (LACADA) ............................ $40,000

Apprentice Coordinator Program ...............................................20,000

Carl D. Perkins, Entitlement Funds .........................................503,450

Carl D. Perkins, Post-Secondary Funds ................................ 117,502

Coordinated School Health System Program .............................16,000

IBEW CAD Grant ......................................................................17,210

I.D.E.A. Part B .........................................................................548,548

Inmate Education Funds .......................................................... 79,020

Mini Arts Grant ............................................................................2,100

Title I – Regular .......................................................................559,215

Title IIA ..................................................................................... 54,113

Transportation Grant .......................................................................323

NJ Case ........................................................................................5,000

Total $1,962,481