Assistant Superintendent Art Howard reported to the Holmdel Board of Education that district results on the New Jersey Graduation Proficiency Assessment (NJGPA) exceeded state averages and that the district is preparing a public-facing revision of grading criteria to promote clarity and equity.

Howard said “96.5 percent of the students met or surpassed the graduation benchmark” in English language arts, and that the district’s average scale score was 26 points higher than the state average. He reported that 89 percent of students met the math graduation threshold and that the district’s average scale score in math was also 26 points above the state.

Howard presented these test outcomes as part of a broader curriculum-and-instruction update that covered multiple summer initiatives: distribution of WIDA access score reports for multilingual learners, voluntary summer professional development for math teachers centered on Principles to Actions (a National Council of Teachers of Mathematics text), ATLAS curriculum-platform training for science and technology teachers, a Mango Languages rollout plan for grades 1–6, and a weeklong Camp Intervention program that included National Inventors Hall of Fame inductees and a visit by Victor Lawrence. Howard said he prepared summary charts to make the statewide reports easier for board members to digest.

On grading policy, Howard said the district is finalizing both an internal technical document and a streamlined public-facing version of updated grading guidelines. He told the board the public-facing version would be shared with the board for review “intentionally prior to its release,” and that the update is intended to “improv[e] clarity, consistency, and equity across grade levels.” He also noted an internal document contains technical expectations for teacher feedback and grading workflow that would not be published for families.

Board members asked about students who do not meet the graduation thresholds. Howard said students who do not pass “will take it again” and that those who do not pass subsequent attempts may be considered for a portfolio assessment process. In the meeting a board member estimated that “11 percent” of students had not met the math threshold; Howard characterized that as a relatively small number given the district’s cohort size and said reasoning skills emerged as a target area for curriculum attention.

Howard also briefed the board on staffing and programming: three new world-language hires were named, Mango implementation schedules were finalized with parental access accounts available, and athletic departments were preparing for voluntary summer practices. He described the ATLAS training as a powerful tool for curriculum mapping and said the district will continue teacher-focused curriculum work through the summer.

The board did not take formal action on these items during the meeting; the reports were presented for information and for the board’s future review of revised grading guidance.