6. a. The commissioner shall provide for the inclusion of an evaluation component within the ACES program which shall be both formative and summative in nature. The assessment methods designed to evaluate the model schools shall be appropriate for assessing student educational outcomes and teacher development and shall place emphasis on student progress in problem solving, comprehension, critical thinking and reasoning.

b. During the initial four years of the ACES program each model school shall undergo an annual evaluation conducted by the Department of Education pursuant to subsection a. of this section. After the program’s fourth year, the commissioner shall submit to the Governor and Legislature an evaluation of the ACES program and a recommendation on the advisability of its continuation and expansion to other schools within the State.

L.1996,c.117,s.6.