District staff report mixed NJGPA and NJSLA results; plan earlier portfolio work for seniors

District staff on Monday presented detailed results from statewide assessments and described steps the district will take to support students ahead of the grade‑11 NJGPA retake or portfolio submission.

Staff said early identification of students at risk of not meeting grade‑11 proficiency will allow the district to begin compiling portfolio evidence as early as ninth grade so seniors will not have to assemble materials under pressure. The presenter described the work as a way to ‘‘make senior year a little less stressful’’ for students identified through prior NJSLA or other early measures.

The presentation said the district’s ELA proficiency fell from a prior 100% figure in 2024 and that informational text questions were a notable weakness last year. Staff described cross‑department collaboration between science and social studies to increase instruction in informational reading and writing and said teachers will use common instructional tools and benchmarks to guide remediation and tier‑1 instruction.

In math, staff said the assessment was roughly split between algebra and geometry. The district reported a mean scale score above the state average for the cohort cited and said multilingual learners performed better in math than in ELA; the presenter said 83.4% of tested students met the district’s graduation‑ready benchmark in math. Staff said only two or three students remained who would need either a portfolio pathway or another NG GPA attempt in the fall.

Staff said the district will break down item‑level data (heat maps and evidence statements) for math and geometry and will review final exam data to plan instruction for next year. They emphasized hands‑on practices — including use of calculators at testing stations and ‘‘patty paper’’ for geometry tasks — as permissible ways to support students’ understanding on items where allowed.

On ACCESS for ELLs testing, staff reported 37 students took the assessment across K–12, with a mean composite score of about 3.5; a 4.5 composite is required for exit from ESL services. Staff said eight students exited ESL in 2024–25 and seven students refused services yet still were required to take the ACCESS test. The presenter noted most students clustered between levels 2 and 4 on the ACCESS scale and that the district will continue goal‑setting and targeted instruction to move students toward the exit threshold.

Board members asked whether the district could compare results with demographically similar districts rather than with statewide averages; staff said the state no longer publishes the prior letter‑group comparisons and that comparable school performance reports will be available in March, though staff offered to research and share comparisons where possible.

The presentation closed with next steps: ongoing curriculum writing to align to the 2023 standards ahead of an anticipated September board approval, expanded teacher training in math content and curriculum writing, continued vertical articulation across grades, and individualized data review for goal setting.

The presentation occurred during an agenda item for academic reports; no formal board action on assessments was taken at the meeting.