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District presents AP, SAT and NJSLA results showing gains in several grades, notable jump in 9th‑grade ELA
Summary
District presenters reported modest AP and SAT gains and larger year‑to‑year NJSLA gains in some grades: AP participation rose slightly (715 students, 1,499 exams), district three‑year SAT mean was reported at 1,065, and NJSLA ELA proficiency districtwide rose from 42% to 45 with grade‑9 ELA moving from 41% to 57% according to presenters.
At its Oct. 1 curriculum session, the Toms River Regional School District reviewed multiple district assessment results, including Advanced Placement participation, SAT results and New Jersey Student Learning Assessment (NJSLA) outcomes.
John Green presented Advanced Placement data and told the board the district administered 1,499 AP exams in 2024, with 715 students participating across the three high schools. He said district rates of students scoring a 3 or higher increased "slightly" and cited a district figure of about "69.3" percent for 3‑plus scores.
Green then reviewed SAT reporting for the class of 2024 and three‑year averages. He said 447 students from the class of 2024 took the SAT and reported a district three‑year mean SAT score of "1065," noting that figure was slightly above the state and national averages in the slides he presented.
Rich Fosnock led a separate presentation of spring 2024 NJSLA results and highlighted both growth and continuing gaps. He singled out ninth‑grade English language arts performance, saying the district saw a "really great gain" in ninth grade, moving from "41% all the way to 57% proficiency." Districtwide ELA proficiency rose from 42% to 45% across the period presented, and Fosnock pointed to several cohort and subgroup comparisons to explain growth patterns.
Board members pressed staff about building‑level disparities: one board member noted low exceeding‑expectations percentages at a particular elementary school and asked how the district would address that. Staff responded that local assessments and MTSS (multi‑tiered systems of support) align closely with the state data and that additional targeted instructional support will be discussed at an upcoming meeting.
Several board members cautioned against relying solely on standardized scores to describe student learning; one member argued that funding disparities affect outcomes, saying, "give Tom River the state average in revenue and watch us pass the state average on assessments." The district said it will continue to provide school‑level reports and follow‑up presentations on how instructional supports are being deployed.
