Ridge and Valley Charter School

After researching all the test scores of this school I find it hard to believe the positive postings are coming from concerned parents. This Charter school should have been closed long ago. All of their practices go against the State standards and since when is it ok to use Primary years students as an Earth experiment. No one wants the Earth to die but this idea of filling the kids heads full of the stories how humans are killing the plants and earth to the point their whole life is consumed by this instead of learning to read (the scores are horrible). Math scores are also terrible - science is up but by the schools description of themselves I can see that is the majority of what they do. No outside oversight it appears. Volunteers evaluating Charter school applications. Teachers not certified - Again - the positive reviews are either plants in regard to Ridge & Valley or the parents are paying absolutely no attention to this mess of a school. SHAME! SHAME!

Their curriculum requires that the majority of the students education time be held outdoors. They are very nature oriented and are even solar-powered!

This is my son's first year at RVCC and his first year in kindergarten. I have to say I am very impress with RVCC and its dedicated staff. The guides and the office team work together with the families to make your child's day enjoyable. Children do learn the same academic skills they would learn in a public school setting. The only difference is at RVCC the children are more hands on and experience the learning instead of reading about it. It is a truly wonderful experience.
--Submitted by a parent

Guides do their best with limited resources. Leadership quadrant is not working well. Only one has certification in what is supposed to be their expertise at the school. They do not meet with families. Parents are not welcome except for volunteering doing clerical work, not in class support. Turnover of students has been high during our time there. It could be better with openness and a shift in leadership including a parent liaison, acceptance of some new trustees and hiring some of the qualified parents/teachers who have been passed over for positions. The kids are awesome. I think they are getting some of what they need, but many curriculum areas are lacking.
--Submitted by a parent

The Ridge and Valley School is concerned about our Earth and all life on Earth. It is concerned about teaching about respect for the earth, and respect for all life. It allows the Earth itself to teach the lessons about life and living and it is a school looking to a sustainable future.
--Submitted by a parent

A tuition-free public elementary alternative to conventional schools. Shared responsibility in a caring community and ecological awareness are important to us.
--Submitted by a parent

We are parents of one child at RVCS (who has attended RVCS from kindergarten on) and another who has graduated. Both are thriving academically. The child who graduated had no problems at all, academically or socially, transitioning to a traditional public high school. RVCS is just moving out of its infancy - in its 6th year and, like the students who attend, learning from its experiences. Two years ago, the school changed to a successful shared leadership model that addresses administrative and supervisory responsibilities. The new (this year) curriculum framework supports the school's mission of earth literacy and experiential education and aligns it with the NJ core curriculum content standards. Our children learned from a caring, competent staff. Our oldest child was too old to attend RVCS and went through traditional public school. Comparatively, the two who attended RVCS got the better overall education.
--Submitted by a parent

Wow. I had a child at this school and it was an academic disaster. With all the great reviews this school year, I wonder why the school does so horrribly on the state rankings. See schooldigger dot com. In 2007-2008 this school was on the list for one of the worst 10 elementary schools in the NJ. Based on last year's 2008-2009 test results that were available from 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades (nothing available for 6th), the schools overall placement percentile based on other schools for 3rd grade was 43%, 4th grade 12%, and 5th grade 28%. I compared this placement to former Abbott schools, and the Abbott schools placed higher. Based on the academic performance at this school, I would say there is something very wrong about what this charter school is doing academically.
--Submitted by a parent

I have 3 children in this school and one who has graduated. All are learning and thriving with reading, math and learning in general. Graduate is an A student in high school honors classes. Teachers (Guides) are energetic, caring and creative. Kids all know and interact with each other throughout the age groups. The cirriculum has grown much stronger since we first came but is still centered on earth literacy which my kids are loving. There were some behavior issues when we first came to the school but the whole community, staff, board, and families have worked really hard to change that. That didn't happen in the public school our kids went to before. I wish there had been a school like this when I was a kid.
--Submitted by a parent

I am so sick of complaints and criticisms about this school. There's no other place like it, and my kids are thriving here. One of my kids also graduated RVCS and is doing incredibly well. RVCS teaches kids to think, to cultivate a love of learning, so that wherever they are, wherever life takes them, they have that have both the curiousity and enthusiasm to excel. Small classes, talented and dedicated staff, creative core curriculum (yes, there's actually a curriculum, and it's amazing!) -- kids are getting the best of the best. We all know how important these formative years are, and I for one wouldn't want my kids anywhere else. This is one special place that surely will sustain.
--Submitted by a parent