Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Student Assessments topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Superintendent reports NJSLA results, highlights rise in biliteracy seals and outlines tutoring, math supports
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Marilyn Martinez presented district assessment results showing low proficiency on NJSLA math and science across grades, a rise in high-school biliteracy seals, and district steps including tutoring, intervention time, and new math resources to address gaps.
Superintendent Dr. Marilyn Martinez gave the Board of Education an overview of student assessment results and district initiatives on March 11.
Martinez reviewed New Jersey Student Learning Assessment (NJSLA) results for math and science across elementary, middle and high school grades. She reported that proficiency rates were low in several grades: for example, third-grade math proficiency was 14%, with 54% below expectations; fifth-grade science showed 56% below proficient; and high-school 11th-grade math (NJGPA) showed 9% graduation-rated, with major-content scores stronger than modeling and reasoning. Martinez said modeling and reasoning were consistent areas of struggle across grade bands and that the district is targeting supports there.
Martinez also reported a notable increase in the number of Pleasantville seniors earning the New Jersey Seal of Biliteracy: she said 42 students earned the seal last year and that number rose to 56 this year, a roughly 28% increase. She introduced a group of students onstage who received the seal.
To address the assessment gaps, Martinez outlined district actions: districtwide "power hour" tutoring and intervention times; added manipulatives and graphic calculators at secondary levels; and planned purchases of elementary math manipulatives as part of the budget. Martinez said diagnostic runs using an interim assessment showed movement toward grade-level proficiency: she summarized that students who were multiple grade levels behind had declined in count (for example, "two grade levels behind" dropped from 519 to 335 students), while students at or above grade level rose from 121 to 226 on the diagnostic snapshot.
Martinez also described Read Across America events and community outreach during Black History Month, and she highlighted student awards, including a $25,000 Chick-fil-A scholarship awarded to a high-school senior.
Ending: The superintendent said the district will include targeted facility and instructional investments in the upcoming budget and asked the board to expect follow-up reporting; board members said they would review the assessment details and the proposed budget investments at the scheduled work sessions.
