Hillside district presents NJGPA results; high school lays out summer and schedule plan to raise proficiency

District data director Cristi Tuminelli and Hillside High School Principal Terry Willard presented three years of New Jersey Graduation Proficiency Assessment (NJGPA) results to the board on May 29 and outlined an action plan that includes summer ACCUPLACER preparation, expanded study halls and schedule changes to raise math and English proficiency.

Tuminelli said ELA (English language arts) counts show the district reached its highest number of students deemed “graduation ready” in the most recent administration, even as percentages adjusted with larger testing cohorts. She reported increases in ELA and incremental gains in math across three years, and highlighted subgroup improvements: multilingual learners grew from 5 to 33 students meeting the pathway; students with individualized education plans (IEPs) saw marginal increases; and free-and-reduced-lunch students tested in larger numbers with higher pass counts.

Principal Terry Willard described concrete steps the high school will take this summer and next school year. For juniors who did not meet the NJGPA pathway, the school will provide EDIA (math supplemental software) and NewSLA (ELA software) access during a two‑week summer program that includes an ACCUPLACER administration at the end of the session. Willard said the goal is to reduce the number of students needing the pathway by 20 percent and offered additional supports: remedial semester classes revisiting Algebra I, expanded zero‑period or eighth‑period options, and supervised study halls offering the programs with teacher support.

Willard also said the district will use study halls and possible schedule adjustments to provide credit-bearing math classes so students can both boost skills and earn required credits toward graduation. He emphasized a data-driven approach and collaboration with the director of ESL and student‑support services for subgroup needs. “This way, when October rolls around and we have to give the next NJGPA, they're ready,” Willard said.

Board members heard subgroup breakdowns showing ELA and math trends by race, gender and meal‑status and were told comparison to state averages: recent district ELA percentages were close to the state in one year and below another; state math average is higher and the district is making incremental gains toward it. Both presenters said plans will be shared with families and posted to the district website.