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Board hears NJGPA and AP data; math passing increases while AP participation varies
Summary
District presenters reviewed New Jersey Graduation Proficiency Assessment (NJGPA) and Advanced Placement testing data, noting a rise in mathematics passing rates, demographic redactions for small groups, and early-year AP results including a new computer science baseline.
Dr. John Sanna presented the first of three public reports on district testing data, reviewing NJGPA results, demographic breakdowns and Advanced Placement exam outcomes for the past year.
The presenter summarized graduation-assessment data and options for students who do not meet the NJGPA standard, noting the district’s 2023 adoption of the NJGPA as the graduation assessment. He said the district tested 196 students in language arts and 199 in mathematics and that the state’s passing percentages remain higher than the district’s overall rates.
Sanna highlighted a significant local improvement in mathematics: the district recorded about a 7% increase in the proportion of students meeting the graduation-ready threshold in mathematics compared with prior reporting, while noting more students were tested overall.
He also reviewed AP exam participation and mean scores across subjects. Highlights from the presentation included: - AP computer science: first year administering the AB computer science exam locally; presenters described the results as a baseline because the curriculum and testing were newly aligned. More students took the test this year, but mean scores were lower than the college-board global average in some subjects. - Environmental science: six students took the AP environmental science exam with a mean score reported as 2.3; the presenter noted the global average alongside the district result. - U.S. history: mean scores improved, but the number of students electing to take the exam declined.
The presenter explained demographic data handling: any subgroup with fewer than 10 students is redacted from public reports to avoid identifying individual students. He described steps the district is taking to respond to the results, including meetings with building leaders and plans to “micromanage” data to the course and student level to target instruction, continued tutoring through the 21st Century program and expanded supports for English learners.
Sanna said the NJGPA “is not going away” as the district’s testing requirement and outlined retake and alternative assessment options for students who do not meet the standard.
The board placed the testing report on the consent agenda; presenters and administrators said they will continue to analyze disaggregated data and take steps to support language arts and mathematics achievement.
