Staff were formally evaluated twice during the school year and given feedback on their performance and support to improve. Those that did meet school quality standards were invited to return for the 2011-2012 school.

For the first time this year (2011) ALL teachers met criteria for acceptable performance and ALL were invited to return. All those that were invited subsequently accepted the offer except for one teacher that left the profession and one teacher that moved across the country for personal reasons.

There were seven (7) instructional position openings for the 2011-12 school year, including:

·      Elementary School Principal

·      Special Education Teachers (2)

·      Grade 1 Teacher

·      Grade 4 Math and Science Teacher

·      Grade 5 English Language Arts and Social Studies Teacher

·      Teacher Assistants (1)

The application process for becoming a teacher at University Heights Charter School was very competitive in 2010-2011. Over 400 resumes were reviewed for the 5 open teacher positions. All positions were posted on NJ Hire. Candidates came from job fairs and NJ Hire. Of these applicants, 11% were screened by phone interview and 2% came to be interviewed at the school. Only 1% were made offers.

Interviews followed a standard rubric and probed for teacher expertise, classroom instruction and management skills, and fidelity to the University Heights Charter School approach to teaching and learning. All instructional positions were filled by June 1^st and the school is excited about the strong team that has been assembled for the upcoming 2011-2012 school year.