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NJGPA results: Toms River posts strong ELA rates but math proficiency lags; district outlines curriculum changes
Summary
Director of funded programs Rich Fastnock reported about 79% ELA pathway proficiency this year and lower math proficiency (about 48%–54% across high schools). He described multi-year curriculum revisions in Algebra I and geometry, common unit assessments, and expanded teacher review cycles to raise math outcomes.
Rich Fastnock, the district’s director of funded programs, presented spring NJGPA results and told the curriculum committee that about 79% of juniors met the English-language-arts graduation pathway this year while mathematics proficiency remains lower across the district.
Fastnock explained that NJGPA assesses content spanning students’ freshman and sophomore years (algebra and geometry content assessed at the end of 11th grade), which complicates year-to-year cohort comparisons. He said the district saw ELA pathway rates of about 75% in 2023, a jump to 84.2% last year, and approximately 79% this year; math pathway percentages have hovered in the high 40s overall.
To address math performance, staff described multiyear work: deep curriculum reviews of Algebra I and geometry, creation of common unit assessments, teacher committee reviews, and a plan for regular meetings (Fastnock said teachers will meet about eight times per year to review unit data). Fastnock said those steps included reallocating time in scope-and-sequence documents and using assessment evidence to guide instruction.
Board members asked which subgroups struggled most; Fastnock identified economically disadvantaged students and Hispanic and multilingual learner subgroups as showing larger gaps on mathematics. He described the district’s MTSS (multi-tiered system of supports) approach, targeted basic-skills supports, after-school and lunch interventions, and a focus on foundational skills at elementary and middle grades to better prepare students for Algebra I.
Fastnock said the district is awaiting alternate-pathway cut scores from the New Jersey Department of Education for the class of 2025; those cut scores will determine how many students meet alternate assessment pathways such as PSAT, SAT or Accuplacer. He said the district expects those cut scores will be similar to prior guidance but is monitoring the situation.
