Chatham schools report districtwide gains on 2025 state assessments; officials stress tests are a single data point

Doctor Donahue presented the School District of the Chathams' 2025 state assessment results to the board, saying the district outperformed New Jersey averages across English language arts, mathematics and science and that the data will guide targeted supports.

Donahue summarized assessments required by state and federal law, including NJSLA (ELA and math), the ACCESS English‑language proficiency assessment for multilingual learners, the Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM) alternate assessment, and the New Jersey Graduation Proficiency Assessment (NJ GPA) for grade 11. He said the district treats the statewide tests “as one data point in a broader summary of our student learning,” and that classroom benchmarking, formative assessments and teacher observations also inform instructional decisions.

On comparative results, Donahue said Chatham’s performance exceeded the state across tested grades. He reported that, averaged across tested grades in ELA, the district outperformed the state by roughly 22 percent and cited grade‑by‑grade math gaps that ranged around the low‑to‑mid 30s in several early grades (for example, the presentation named improvements of about 31% in grade 3 and roughly 33% in grade 4). Donahue also highlighted higher percentages in the district for top performance levels (levels 4–5) and lower percentages in levels 1–2 versus state rates.

Donahue reviewed subgroup reporting rules (results suppressed where subgroups have fewer than 10 students) and noted particular program results: 48 students took the ACCESS exam in 2025 (with distributions across proficiency bands reported), DLM participation counts (e.g., 14 mathematics participants) and NJ GPA pass rates in Chatham of about 96.3% for ELA and 88.2% for math. On AP exams, he said 1,367 AP course enrollments produced 1,157 AP exams taken and that roughly 97% of students who took AP exams scored a 3 or higher; among those, 43% of exam takers earned a 5 and 36% earned a 4. The district reported 28 students earned the state Seal of Biliteracy (18 Spanish, five French, three German, two American Sign Language).

Board members pressed on an observed dip for eighth grade, and Donahue and staff said the district is investigating possible causes — including course placement (many eighth graders were enrolled in geometry rather than grade‑level math) and a small number of anomalous test items that affected results — and will use the data to target interventions. Donahue said the district has adjusted sequence decisions and is reviewing minutes allocated to ELA at the middle school to increase instructional time where needed.

The presentation repeatedly framed NJSLA results as a snapshot: one board member, later identified as Jill during the meeting, criticized standardized testing sharply, saying at one point that she believed “these tests are garbage.” Donahue and board members acknowledged the sentiment while reiterating that state assessments are one metric among several used to guide instruction and professional development.

The board did not take action on the assessment presentation itself; staff said they will follow up with deeper subgroup analysis and scheduling adjustments as part of curriculum planning.