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Piscataway officials cite drop in NJGPA ELA pass rates; district plans bilingual support and curriculum changes
Summary
Interim superintendent Dr. Baskerville reported a drop in grade‑11 ELA NJGPA pass rates from 83% to 79.2% and outlined curriculum changes, expanded literacy resources, and part‑time bilingual supports to address declines among Hispanic and African‑American subgroups.
Interim superintendent Dr. Baskerville told the Piscataway Township School District board that district results on the New Jersey Graduate Proficiency Assessment (NJGPA) showed a decline in grade‑11 ELA performance this year and that the district will take targeted steps to support students, particularly English‑language learners.
Dr. Baskerville said the state board approved NJGPA cut scores on May 3, 2023; the district reported the cut score to be 725 for both ELA and math. For the class of 2026 the district recorded a grade‑11 ELA pass rate that fell from 83% to 79.2%, a 4.1 percentage‑point decline, while math remained near previous levels (roughly 58–59%). He also reported an overall graduation‑ready rate of 77.6%, down about 5.6 points from the prior year.
The presentation singled out subgroup changes: the Hispanic subgroup’s ELA pass rate fell from 80% to 66% and the African‑American rate fell from 75% to 68%. Dr. Baskerville attributed part of the change to a recent influx of Spanish‑speaking students and said the district received a conditional bilingual waiver, prompting plans for a part‑time bilingual program in lower grades and added in‑class support at the high school.
District curriculum changes were described as a multi‑year effort. Among interventions, the district plans to roll out McGraw‑Hill literacy materials (Open Court for K–5; StudySync for grades 6–12), expand project‑based engineering and coding in grade 8, refine pacing guides, use diagnostic data from McGraw‑Hill to target instruction, and continue to place ELL‑endorsed staff in core content classrooms to support language access.
Board members pressed for specifics. One member called subgroup declines “a huge red flag” and asked for rubrics and timelines; district staff responded that instructional changes and curriculum adoption are likely to take one to three years to show full effects and emphasized that identifying and tracking mobile and newly enrolled students is a priority. The district also reported that students who spent more time on the NJGPA tended to have higher projected scores, and staff said course placement (for example, AP/honors vs. support classes) correlated strongly with pass rates.
Administration posted ACUPLACER (College Board) test dates and StudySync resources in Schoology and plans targeted benchmark assessments. The board did not vote on additional budget items at this meeting; the curriculum and policy committee items (including AI policy 2365 first reading) were placed on the agenda for future board action.
