Winslow Township Superintendent Dion Pease and Assistant Superintendent (Clement) reviewed the districts spring NJSLA (New Jersey Student Learning Assessments) results at the Board of Educations Oct. 22 regular meeting, describing modest gains at several schools and outlining instructional changes the district plans to use to push more students into proficiency.

Pease told the board the presentation was intended to spur a partnership among the board, administrators, teachers and families to "continue to see improvement." He said the district saw growth at several elementary schools and that the presentation would help leaders target supports where students lag.

Among the steps the district described: full implementation this school year of a newly adopted K'8 math program, pilots of high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) K'8 to let teachers vet resources before adoption, and a district-wide plan to train early-grade teachers in evidence-based reading instruction. "By the end of this year, all of the teachers from pre-K3 through first grade, our foundational teachers, will be trained and certified in the program called Letters: Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling," Pease said.

District leaders also emphasized targeted small-group instruction, continued use of the i-Ready diagnostic platform and Response to Intervention (RTI) reviews, and expanded tutoring where research shows impact. Pease and Clement said the district will keep using benchmark data and weekly principal meetings to share best practices from higher-performing schools with others.

Clement said the data show different grade-level patterns: for example, strong gains in fourth grade at School 5 that district leaders said could inform instruction at School 6. The presentation covered subgroup performance (by gender, ethnicity and special education status) to help administrators direct supports.

Pease urged families to use the parent portal and to support consistent attendance, saying, "It's the law from 6 to 16 that our kids are in school." He also urged parents to monitor screen time and signaled support for recently passed state limits on cell phones in schools, saying excessive screen time can affect focus and learning.

The board did not take formal action on the presentation; it was accepted as information. Pease said the district will publish the presentation and make materials available after the meeting.