Ridgefield Park board reviews spring 2025 NJSLA results, cites gains and continued work; routine resolutions pass

The Ridgefield Park Public School District Board of Education on Oct. 20 heard a detailed briefing on the district's spring 2025 NJSLA and DLM assessment results and approved a series of routine resolutions covering policy, faculty programs, facilities, finance and personnel.

Assistant Superintendent Miss Triglia told trustees the district generally outperformed the state in most grades and highlighted specific cohort gains, while flagging persistent gaps. "If we look at grade 9, those students were at 33% and now they're at 40.5," she said, describing cohort-level growth even where a year-to-year comparison shows a drop. Triglia also said the district's goal for proficiency remains ambitious: "We wanna hit the 80%." She explained participation rules, subgroup reporting suppression when counts are under 20, and the proficiency cutoff points used in reporting.

Her presentation covered ELA, math and science by grade and by school (Grant, Lincoln, Roosevelt and the Junior-Senior High School), and included explanations of instructional strategies the district attributes to gains: SNAP (productive struggle prompts), expanded small-group instruction, I-Ready diagnostics, professional learning communities and targeted professional development. Triglia cited a large improvement in eighth-grade ELA meeting/exceeding rates and singled out geometry classroom practices (a flipped-classroom model and recorded lessons) as an example of an effective strategy.

Superintendent Dr. V said the board received the HIB (harassment, intimidation and bullying) report required by state policy in executive session and summarized public self-assessment scores for the district's schools. Student government representatives Ashley Nagel and Christina Martinez also gave a brief update on school events and athletics.

Trustees responded with praise and follow-up requests. Several members commended teachers and administrators for data-driven work and asked for school-level follow-ups to explain why specific grades or cohorts over- or under-performed, and for more detail on strategies behind grade-level gains.

Votes at a glance: the board approved the minutes from Aug. 27 and Sept. 17 (motion by Trustee Velez; one abstention from Trustee Craft), passed Policy & Regulations 801 on second reading, approved Faculty & Programs items FP 901—FP 912 (including revised field-trip and conference items), adopted Buildings & Grounds resolution 10.01, approved Finance items (11.00—11.19) including an extra PD allocation, accepted the consent agenda (12/2001) including a revised Ragamuffin practice date, and approved Personnel items (13.01—13.15) including retirements. Each package was carried by roll-call vote as recorded in the meeting.

On public comment, resident Dr. Mercedes Haines asked why district buses were parked on Christie Street; Dr. V replied the municipality has allowed parking there and said open hoods were likely for inspections. The board moved to adjourn following the public comment period.

What to watch next: trustees requested follow-up materials and school-specific plans explaining the drivers of both the gains cited and the areas that still lag, particularly grade 9 math and geometry. The district indicated more detailed breakdowns will be made available and that staff-level presentations will follow at building meetings.