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Mahwah reports strong multilingual‑learner growth and high graduation and AP outcomes
Summary
District presenters told the board that multilingual learners showed substantial year‑over‑year gains (54 of 58 longitudinally tracked students grew; 12 exited), the district’s 11th‑grade readiness and graduation metrics exceeded state averages, and AP participation and scores rose for the Class of 2025.
Mahwah Township Public School District staff presented end‑of‑year assessment results to the Board of Education on Aug. 6, saying multilingual‑learner students and the Class of 2025 posted notable gains.
In a presentation introduced by district staff, presenters said 73 multilingual learners took the ACCESS assessment this year, including one student tested in an out‑of‑district placement. Of the 58 students the district could follow year‑to‑year, 54 showed growth and 12 students exited the multilingual‑learner (ML) program. Presenters attributed gains to expanded sheltered‑instruction professional development, individualized ML learning plans, NJTSS tier‑2 small‑group interventions and a tutoring program. The district also described an ML foundation math class intended to close foundational gaps for students with interrupted formal education.
The board heard that suppression rules limit public reporting by small‑cell sizes; presenters said only grade‑level groups with 10 or more students can be reported without suppression, which affected grade‑by‑grade public display of ACCESS results.
On broader secondary assessments, the district reported strong readiness and postsecondary outcomes. Mister O'Hara told the board that “we have an estimated 96.3 percent graduation rate” for the Class of 2025 when in‑ and out‑of‑district counts are combined; that estimate will be confirmed in the fall by the New Jersey Department of Education. For current 11th graders (class of 2026), presenters said 222 students took the NJGPA and the district reported roughly 94% of those students as 'graduation ready' compared with an 81% state rate. In math the district reported 80% graduation‑ready versus 58% statewide.
AP participation and outcomes were highlighted: 208 students sat AP exams and the district said about 93% of AP scores met or exceeded a score of 3; 24 of 25 AP subjects had an average score at or above 3.0. Staff also summarized SAT/ACT participation (about 70% of seniors took the SAT; roughly 21% took the ACT) and noted shifting national patterns and test‑optional policies were factors in participation trends.
Board members asked several clarification questions about how participation is measured (raw counts versus percentages) and how the district will continue outreach to families so students select the assessment path that best matches their postsecondary goals. Presenters recommended using percentages to control for class‑size differences and reiterated planned family outreach through guidance and counseling.
The district said many subgroup improvements (special education, economically disadvantaged, Hispanic/Latino, Asian) were visible in the data, while some declines in male and female math performance will be examined by the math supervisor and addressed through tier‑2 interventions and curriculum alignment.
The presentation closed with district commitments to continue sheltered‑instruction training for all staff, refine small‑group intervention models and monitor progress in the fall when state‑validated figures are available.
