College Achieve Greater Asbury Park Earns Statewide Academic Honor

School was selected for the New Jersey Promising Practices Project in recognition of their outstanding student growth in ELA and math

Written by Heather Vega

ASBURY PARK, N.J. (August 15, 2024) – The New Jersey Department of Education announced that College Achieve Greater Asbury Park Charter School (CAPS Asbury) has been chosen to participate in the Promising Practices Project. This prestigious initiative, a partnership between the New Jersey State Policy Lab and the Joseph C. Cornwall Center for Metropolitan Studies at Rutgers University, aims to identify and replicate innovative educational strategies that have significantly accelerated student learning, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

College Achieve Greater Asbury Park was selected for the initiative due to exceptional growth in student performance when comparing pre- and post-pandemic performance in English Language Arts and Mathematics. Only 52 of the 2,500 public schools in the state earned this distinction.

“College Achieve’s mission is to support every child to have the potential to excel in and graduate from top colleges and universities. Each and every day, our incredible staff, students, and families vindicate that belief,” said CAPS Asbury Head of School Jasonn Denard. “We are honored to be recognized to participate in this critical initiative, and look forward to working with State experts, including the New Jersey Department of Education, to improve outcomes for New Jersey students.”

The research is designed to explore promising practices in curriculum development, school climate, and various support programs such as summertime and after-school initiatives, tailored to meet diverse student needs that resulted in extraordinary outcomes. The findings will be compiled into a formal report aimed at sharing these successful practices statewide through presentations, resources, and educational convenings.

Governor Phil Murphy emphasized the importance of this initiative in the state’s press release. “Working together to identify classroom-tested strategies that address our children’s most pressing academic needs is paramount. Through the Promising Practices Project, we are pulling together invaluable first-hand feedback from educators across the state – from Sussex to Cape May – to support accelerated learning and ensure our students are on pace to meet their educational goals.”

CAPS Asbury earned national recognition for performance in the wake of the pandemic. The school had the 3rd-highest ELA growth scores in the state of NJ, and were also in the 98th percentile for math growth. Enrollment and daily attendance were also among the highest in the country.

The original article was posted in The Patch. Click here to read.