Vernon Township presents 2025 NJSLA results; early grades show strongest gains

Vinny Gagliastro, Vernon Township School District director of curriculum and instruction, presented the district's 2025 New Jersey Student Learning Assessment (NJSLA) results to the Vernon Township Board of Education on Oct. 16, saying the results show substantial growth in early grades but persistent gaps in upper elementary and among some student groups.

"So tonight's presentation is about more than scores. It's about student growth," Gagliastro told the board as he reviewed ELA, mathematics and science performance across grade bands. Dr. Hallease Shep, the district's supervisor of STEM K'12, joined Gagliastro for the presentation and the board discussion.

The presentation highlighted several district-level findings. Third grade emerged as a strong performing grade: Gagliastro reported that third grade math proficiency rose from 37.5% in 2023 to 57.4% in 2025. District staff credited that gain to an 80-minute instructional block in third grade, dedicated interventionists, coaching and frequent data cycles (I-Ready) used to organize small-group instruction.

Staff warned that the momentum in grade 3 does not yet consistently continue into grades 4 and 5. Presentation slides and remarks noted a reduction in instructional minutes (from 80 minutes in…