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Millstone officials cite assessment gains and 91% HIB self-assessment; district to target —bubble' students
Summary
District leaders told the board that the HIB self-assessment scored 71 out of 78 (91%), highlighted six perfect NJSLA results from last year and described targeted steps (data-driven interventions and a limited high-impact tutoring allocation) to boost students near proficiency.
Millstone Township School District leaders reported assessment gains and a strong anti-bullying self-assessment at the board meeting on Oct. 16, 2024, and outlined next steps to focus support on students who are a question or two away from proficiency.
The district's HIB (harassment, intimidation and bullying) self-assessment earned a cumulative score of 71 out of 78, or 91%, according to Lauren Dominic, the middle school assistant principal and district anti-bullying coordinator. Dominic said the review is broken into eight core elements and identified volunteer training and the use of multiple data sources as areas for improvement, adding that the district will post the self-assessment on its website to move from "meeting" to "exceeding" standards. "Overall when you accumulate our total we score a 71 out of 78 which is a 91%," Dominic said.
Dr. Paul Baker, who led the presentation of the New Jersey Student Learning Assessment (NJSLA) data, said the NJSLA snapshot shows gains in many grades as the district recovers toward pre-COVID levels. He noted six students earned perfect scores on last year's NJSLA (three in math, three in ELA) and stressed that state assessments are one important measure among many. "NJSLA is one big important piece but all those other pieces are more regular, ongoing formative and summative assessments that help tell a better story about your child," Baker said.
Baker described a strategy to prioritize —bubble' students—pupils who are a question or two away from proficiency—and to use targeted interventions and instructional adjustments to push them into higher performance tiers. The district also discussed using a smaller state high-impact tutoring allocation (about $10,000 this year) close to the test window to maximize effect.
Administrators emphasized that LinkIt and similar formative tools will be used more often so teachers can adjust instruction between big summative assessments. Baker and Dominic both described professional development, curriculum articulation with neighboring high schools and data carousels that teams used during in-service days to identify standards that need additional emphasis.
What happens next: administrators said the NJSLA presentation and HIB self-assessment slides will be posted on the district website, and staff will pursue targeted interventions (data-driven groupings, test-exposure activities, and timing the high-impact tutoring nearer the spring assessment). Dominic recommended increased volunteer training and additional meetings of the school safety and climate teams to move select HIB indicators from "meeting" to "exceeding" standards.
The board heard questions from members about purchases tied to pilot programs (ELA and phonics pilots, math programs) and about alignment of spiraled curriculum across grades; administrators named lead teachers and said final curricular changes will funnel through the superintendent and board for approval.
