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State Board reviews 2025 assessment results showing mixed gains, persistent gaps
Summary
The State Board of Education reviewed spring 2025 assessment results showing statewide increases in ELA, math and science proficiency in several grades, substantial gains in science, but persistent achievement gaps across racial and economic groups; officials outlined federal and state grants and next steps for targeted supports.
Commissioner Damer opened the presentation to the State Board of Education by saying, “Today, I'm pleased to share the results from the spring 2025 statewide assessments.” Department education staff then walked board members through results, demographic breakdowns and planned interventions.
The department reported overall upward trends in English language arts and mathematics since 2022 and said science performance in 2025 has recovered to — and in some measures exceeded — pre-pandemic levels. Department staff noted changes in math participation rules that affect year-to-year comparisons and cautioned that some grade-level results reflect different tested populations.
“Statewide assessments are not the sole measure of success, but they are a valuable data point in our broader system of continuous improvement,” the department said while outlining the limitations of comparisons across years.
On the New Jersey Graduation Proficiency Assessment (NJGPA), staff reported that in 2025 “81.3 percent of students demonstrated graduation readiness in the standards of English language arts, and 58.5 percent of students demonstrate a proficiency in the mathematics standards.” Officials said the NJGPA remains the primary pathway to satisfy graduation assessment requirements, but that alternate pathways and portfolio appeals are available for students who do not meet cut scores.
Board members pressed for more granular participation counts and subgroup data. Department staff said they would supply participation numbers and described existing district-level supports: districts not meeting expectations produce district improvement plans, meet with executive county superintendents, and have formal six‑month and annual reporting to monitor progress.
Officials emphasized targeted investments to support recovery and literacy: a $52,000,000 high-impact tutoring initiative launched in 2023, an additional $7,500,000 commitment for the current fiscal year, a $50,000,000 Comprehensive Literacy State Development (CLSD) federal grant awarded in 2024, and roughly $4,000,000 for reading-acceleration professional development. Staff said these programs have prioritized districts with lower NJSLA proficiency and are intended to expand and be refined as screening data become available.
The department also described subgroup performance: combined student performance showed modest gains, with some groups demonstrating larger improvements (for example, Black or African American students posted a larger percentage increase in some ELA measures). Officials acknowledged the achievement gap remains substantial and said the department has shifted focus within county support structures to emphasize growth and targeted interventions.
The department concluded the session by inviting additional board questions and committing to provide requested data, including participation counts and more granular cross-tabulations to help board members and local districts interpret results.
Next steps: staff said they will deliver the requested participation and disaggregated counts and continue rolling out screening and tutoring resources as data are normed and evaluated.
