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Board reviews 2024–25 NJSLA results, preschool progress and anti‑bullying self‑assessment
Summary
District staff presented spring 2024–25 NJSLA results, spring preschool assessment growth tied to the new Nutley Early Childhood Center and the district's annual Anti‑Bullying Bill of Rights self‑assessment; state testing will move to an adaptive field test this fall.
Nutley Public School District staff presented the district's 2024–25 New Jersey Student Learning Assessment (NJSLA) results, state and internal assessments for preschool through high school, and the district's Anti‑Bullying Bill of Rights self‑assessment during the board meeting.
The presentation, led by Mr. Bania and Ms. Locansolo, highlighted measurable growth in the district's new Nutley Early Childhood Center, increases in students meeting or exceeding expectations in several grades, and areas identified for further instructional focus. "Our students' education begins in 3 and 4 years old. It's measurable," Mr. Bania said, noting about 30 percentage points of spring growth in preschool domains from fall to spring in social‑emotional, physical, language, cognitive, literacy and mathematics measures.
Nutley scored at or above the state average in multiple NJSLA grade‑level comparisons presented. Ms. Locansolo summarized ELA and math results across grades 3–9, noting gains in several elementary and middle grades and some declines or stagnation in others. She also described subgroup and course‑level notes: for example, Algebra I and Geometry assessments are split across middle and high school depending on where students take the course; Algebra II data were not reported because the tested cohort is below the threshold for reporting.
The presentation included additional assessments: WIDA ACCESS for English language learners (143 students tested in 2025; 25 scored 4.5 or above, 17.5%), Advanced Placement (AP) participation and scores (district increase in percent scoring 3 or better, including all students in AP Computer Science scoring 3+), and school‑level science results at grades 5, 8 and 11. Ms. Locansolo told the board that parent score reports would be mailed by October 15 and that a district parents' guide to understanding NJSLA scores is posted on the district website.
District staff also previewed a statewide change: the NJSLA will move to an adaptive format and the state is requiring a full field test during the window Oct. 27–Nov. 14; field‑test results will not be sent to parents. "The field test results will not be sent to parents. They're used internally to help further the test design," Ms. Locansolo said.
On the Anti‑Bullying Bill of Rights self‑assessment covering July 1 to June 30, building teams scored themselves against eight core elements and provided supporting documentation. The districtwide maximum possible score cited was 78; buildings reported scores ranging up to 76 and as low as 63 at the high school. Staff said improvement plans will target lower‑scoring core elements and that the self‑assessment and documentation are posted on the district website.
Administrators said they will continue to disaggregate results, review cohort data when available, and use the results to guide curriculum alignment, professional development and targeted interventions.
The presenters closed by noting the full slide deck and parent resources would be posted on the district website following the meeting.
