Assistant Superintendent Clifford Burns presented the New Jersey School Performance Report to the Flemington-Raritan Regional School District Board of Education, outlining enrollment growth, student growth percentiles, achievement trends and chronic absenteeism data.

The report showed a district median student growth percentile (SGP) of 53, above the statewide median, and noted increases in proficiency rates in English language arts and mathematics after state adjustments to annual targets. Burns said chronic absenteeism declined from 10 percent in 2021 to about 8 percent most recently, but two subgroups remained above the state benchmark.

The presentation gave context for the report’s measures and limits. Burns explained that SGP measures year-to-year growth for cohorts and that a median of 50 is expected, with 65 considered high growth. He summarized three-year trends in enrollment and demographic shifts, including a rise in students identified as economically disadvantaged from 14 percent to 22 percent over the period shown in the report.

On achievement, the district met adjusted annual targets for ELA and math after the state lowered target percentages; Burns noted the district met federal accountability proficiency rates in both subjects. He identified subgroup gaps: Black or African American students had a district median SGP of about 38 versus a statewide median of 47, and economically disadvantaged students were not at the annual achievement target in ELA or math.

Burns defined chronic absenteeism for the board: “If your child misses 10% of the school year, 18 days out of a 180, you’re chronically absent,” and he said the district is meeting most chronic-absence targets but not for Black or African American students and economically disadvantaged students. He provided counts during discussion: 20 Black or African American students were counted as chronically absent, representing roughly 14.5 percent of that subgroup (the subgroup target was 13.8 percent), and the districtwide total of chronically absent students cited in the presentation was 244. The economically disadvantaged subgroup’s count was reported as 105 chronically absent.

The report identified strengths and next steps. Strengths cited included typical or high growth across multiple grades in ELA and math (with particularly high growth noted for current fourth-grade ELA and sixth-grade math), and a second consecutive year of increases in proficiency rates. Areas flagged for growth were fifth- and eighth-grade science proficiency and subgroup performance for Black or African American students, students with disabilities in math, and economically disadvantaged students.

Burns described actions and strategies the district plans or is implementing: adopting Open SciEd for science in grades 6–8 and EdGEMS for math in grades 6–8, continuing MAP Growth and reading-fluency testing three times per year to give teachers baseline and midyear data, and designing targeted professional development and summer staff learning. He also said the district plans to use federal funding to expand summer programming and interventions for multilingual learners and other students, though the final federal allotment was not yet specified.

Burns and Superintendent Dr. McGahn highlighted partnerships that support student needs, including an ongoing counselor provided through Hunterdon Medical Center at J.P. Case and a contract with Middle Earth providing a full-time employee at Reading-Fleming Intermediate School. Board members asked whether township and county partners could expand mental-health and translation services; Burns and McGahn described the district’s practice of making referrals and working with community partners when needs exceed district capacity.

Board members discussed outreach and attendance strategies. Several members asked for clarity on subgroup counts and cautioned that smaller subgroup sizes can skew percentage comparisons; Burns walked through subgroup counts and targets during that exchange. Board members praised targeted attendance outreach used at Francis A. Desmares School, which Burns said began with specific, personalized messages and has been expanded districtwide.

The presentation and question period concluded with a commitment to continue monitoring subgroup performance, expand interventions and professional development, and report back to the board when NJSLA results and additional data are available.