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New Milford High School to reinstate semester assessments with limited retakes and staged weighting
Summary
School leaders presented a plan to reintroduce semester assessments at New Milford High School to better prepare students for college-style testing; the district outlined timing, weights, accommodations, and a one-retake-per-module policy, and the board discussed scheduling and AP exemptions.
New Milford — School and district leaders told the New Milford Board of Education they will reintroduce semester assessments at New Milford High School as a replacement for the old midterm/final model, stressing the change is intended to better prepare students for college and to align assessments with New Jersey standards.
At the board meeting a district presenter explained the shift will move testing to semester-focused exams aligned to unit work rather than single, high-stakes midterms or finals. The presenter said consultants and teacher teams developed common assessments and rubrics to reduce bias and ensure consistent scoring across sections. “We wanted to focus on the classroom instruction … and reintroduce that level of rigor,” the presenter said during the presentation.
Why it matters: Assistant Superintendent Lauren Agosto told the board the previous midterm/final model carried steep weights that could make it mathematically difficult for students to recover from a poor score. Agosto said the assessments and the district’s use of the LinkIt platform will produce growth measures that let staff track progress over time and target supports.
Key details: The district outlined operational and grading specifics. Semester assessments will be scheduled in January at the end of the second marking period, with exams typically run from about 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and two exams per day. Two review days will occur in the two days prior to the assessment window. In-class common assessments will be used as building blocks for the semester exams; math and English will administer online benchmark items via LinkIt, with paper copies available for students who require accommodations.
Weighting and retakes: Presenters described a grading structure where marking-period work carries larger weight and each semester exam is a modest percentage of the overall grade; as summarized in the presentation, “each marking period has been broken down to 22%, and then each exam is 6%.” The presenter said semester exams will not allow retakes; the district’s retake policy was left in place for module or unit assessments, limited to one retake per marking period.
AP students and scheduling: The board discussed impacts on instructional time. The presenter said AP classes will use the semester assessment period for AP practice and that students who take AP exams will not be required to take the second-semester district assessment. Board members and the presenter also discussed schedule models such as an eight-period day but said staffing, contracts and logistics make sweeping changes difficult for now.
What’s next: District staff will proceed with the planned January administration and continued teacher norming of rubrics and will work with guidance on makeups and accommodations. Assistant Superintendent Lauren Agosto thanked the assessment team and emphasized the change is intended to provide growth data and reduce the high-stakes nature of single exams.
Quotes used in this report come directly from board meeting remarks and the presentation.
