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Galloway Township Public School District reports mixed 2024–25 state test results; highlights student growth and upcoming adaptive NJSLA changes
Summary
District officials presented 2024–25 assessment results showing modest proficiency (about one-third passing ELA and ~32% passing math) but substantial year-over-year growth for many students; staff warned of testing changes, NAEP sampling and a vendor transition that may affect future comparisons.
GALLOWAY TWP., N.J. — District curriculum leaders on Monday presented 2024–25 state assessment results that show modest proficiency rates alongside evidence of substantial student growth.
Miss Napoli, the district’s director of curriculum and instruction, told the board that districtwide passing percentages were 33% in English language arts and 32% in mathematics but stressed improvement: “66% of the students improved from prior years,” she said, and students who have been in Galloway for five years or more showed roughly a 10% boost compared with newer arrivals. Napoli also noted near-universal test participation: “We have very high participation rates. Almost every child takes the test.”
The presentation separated proficiency from growth, using cohort comparisons to show that some groups doubled their pass rates as they moved from one grade to the next. Napoli described subgroup patterns by ethnicity, economic disadvantage and special education status, and said the district supplements statewide results with internal data so staff can “drill into the specific needs of students in both ELA and mathematics.”
Superintendent Jimmy Santilli cautioned that the results presented were preliminary and that federal and state assessment changes are coming. He told the board the district had been selected for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in sample grades at two schools and that the NJSLA is moving toward an adaptive format with a new vendor, listed in the presentation as Cabrium replacing Pearson. "This data that you just saw is preliminary data," Santilli said; he added that staff are unpacking new guidance and scheduled training on Sept. 17.
District leaders described instructional responses tied to the data: adoption of a UFLI phonics program for K–2, expanded middle-school ELA time, MTSS-aligned interventions, targeted coaching and expanded preschool options. Napoli said those stepped-up supports are intended to sustain growth over time and to address persistent subgroup gaps.
Board members asked whether the district can recreate comparable results for similar districts; Napoli said state report cards typically publish later (in April) but that the district maintains internal spreadsheets and can share grade-level counts upon request.
The presentation concluded with a reminder that the current findings are preliminary and that additional data and parent reports will follow as state releases are finalized.
