Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Student Assessment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
NJGPA shows 75% ELA proficiency, math lags; district reports high AP pass rates and plans targeted supports
Summary
North Brunswick's principal reported that 75% of juniors met NJGPA ELA proficiency while 44.2% met math proficiency; 139 students still need to meet graduation requirements early in the year but the district offers retakes, portfolio pathways and interventions. The district also reported 78% of AP test takers scored a 3 or better.
The North Brunswick Township Board of Education heard a detailed review of student assessment results on July 30, including the New Jersey Graduation Proficiency Assessment (NJGPA), graduation-rate calculations and Advanced Placement (AP) exam outcomes.
High school principal Mr. Neller told the board that 75% of juniors who took the NJGPA this year were determined to be graduation-ready in language arts, a small decline from 78% the prior year. Math results were weaker: 44.2% of juniors were graduation-ready in math, though Mr. Neller said the school showed modest year-over-year improvement in several demographic groups.
Mr. Neller explained multiple alternative ways students can demonstrate graduation readiness, including SAT/PSAT performance, ACCUPLACER, a fall NJGPA retake window and portfolio courses (language-arts portfolio and math lab) that students complete in the spring. He said the district offers intervention classes (a targeted math/English pullout intervention that began last year for grade nine and continues this year) and that at the start of the school year 139 students still needed to meet language-arts or math proficiency; many will meet requirements through the district's alternate pathways and retake windows.
On graduation rates, Mr. Neller presented an early calculation using the state's adjusted-cohort method (class of 2025 cohort of 522 freshmen) and explained caveats that can lower the official four-year rate, including incoming transfer coding, students counted in the state's 18-to-21 special-education program and other enrollment irregularities. Accounting for those factors, the principal estimated an adjusted four-year rate of about 95% for the class of 2025; he said the state's official rate will be posted on Aug. 28.
The district also reported strong AP outcomes: 78% of students who took an AP exam received a 3 or better. Subject highlights included AP Biology (96.4% scored 3+), Calculus BC (92.9% 3+), AP Chemistry (91.7% 3+) and improvements in AP Physics following teacher professional development (reported to roughly 96% 3+ this year). Administrators noted the district pays exam fees so students do not face a financial barrier to participation.
Board members raised questions about student test fatigue, whether the district solicits student feedback about assessments and whether more granular item- or domain-level analysis could improve targeted instruction. Administration said teachers and PLCs review classroom-level assessment data, the district is expanding data dashboards (LinkIt) to provide predictive crosswalks between local and state measures, and it will continue to offer multiple opportunities for students to meet graduation requirements.
The board accepted the presentations and moved on to business; the administration said it will continue monitoring outcomes and bring follow-up data to committees in August and beyond.
