Assistant superintendent reports district test gains, flags 6th‑grade transition and science proficiency shortfalls

Assistant Superintendent Tro presented the Gloucester Township Public Schools’ results from last spring’s statewide assessments and described how those scores fed into the district’s most recent CUSAC monitoring review.

Tro told the board the district recorded a 3.4% increase districtwide while the statewide average held flat, and several elementary schools beat the state average in ELA and math. “This was a great year for us. We had a 3.4% increase district wide, whereas the state average stayed flat,” Tro said.

Why it matters: the results drive the district’s CUSAC composite and help set priorities for curriculum, interventions and resource allocation. Tro said the district earned full points for curriculum‑and‑documentation components of the state review but lost points tied to student test performance.

Tro reviewed highlights and trouble spots. Multiple elementary schools—Ariel, Union Valley and Glendora—outperformed state averages in at least one subject, and Glen Landing Middle School posted the district’s strongest middle‑school results. But the district shows a recurring decline at the 6th‑grade transition in both ELA and math. “There’s a bit of a pattern there that we’re going to continue to dig into,” Tro said.

Science proficiency remains an area of concern: Tro said statewide 5th‑grade proficiency is about 27% and that the district has been “fairly significantly below that,” though it saw some increases. For 8th‑grade science he described statewide declines and noted the district’s average remains low.

Tro pointed to subgroup progress and equity work. He said nearly all demographic and subgroup categories showed year‑over‑year increases in ELA and that the pattern of gains is broad, though disparities linked to economic disadvantage and students with disabilities persist. He described analyses that compare district trends with county peers and warned about comparing districts without accounting for poverty levels and other demographic differences.

Planned actions: the district is seeking approval for a high‑impact tutoring grant aimed at grades 2–5 (priority for Title I schools), continuing middle‑school intervention work, and a review or replacement of its 6th–8th grade science curriculum. Tro also described ongoing professional learning (the science of reading) and pilot implementations in select grades.

Board follow‑up and transparency: Tro said full slide decks and detailed data would be posted on the district website and that board members could request copies; he invited further questions and suggested administrators would track implementation and report progress.

The board did not take a policy vote here; Tro’s presentation led into other agenda items including consent motions and public comment about preschool facilities and special‑education engagement.