Schools

Brick's Test Scores Remain Steady, But 'Adequacy' a Mixed Bag

Some schools not making "adequate yearly progress" as defined by the state

This article is part one in a series of articles on Brick's school system we will feature this week on Brick Patch. Today, we examine the state's progress ranking for our district. On Tuesday, we will feature a breakdown of the scores, and on Wednesday, we will look into which schools are in need of improvement according to the state.

Brick's students last year scored slightly better, in some cases, and slightly worse, in some cases, than the previous year on state standardized tests, but the district as a whole had several schools fail to achieve what the state terms "adequate yearly progress."

Each year, New Jersey students in grades three through 11 take standardized tests. Third through eighth graders take the New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge, or NJASK, test, and high school juniors take the High School Proficiency Assessment, or HSPA. The state Department of Education sets benchmarks – essentially a required percentage of students who must pass the tests in language arts and math – and terms that percentage "adequate yearly progress," or AYP.

Find out what's happening in Brickwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

For the 2010-11 school year, Brick's results were largely a mixed bag. In most categories, according to a presentation shown to those who attended the Oct. 20 Board of Education meeting, Brick students generally beat state average test scores, but their scores failed to achieve the percentage level necessary to make AYP. The vast majority of Brick's scores were in line with other school districts in its District Factor Group, or DFG, a state ranking used to compare school districts whose populations are socioeconomically similar.

School officials said at the meeting that the minimum percentage of students who must pass the test to make AYP rose significantly in many categories last year, contributing to the number of categories in which the district fell short.

Find out what's happening in Brickwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"We had a significant increase this year," said Assistant Superintendent Patricia Lorusso.

Indeed, the state's minimum percentage of students who must pass rose between 10 and 20 points in several instruction areas, according to state documentation (see chart at the bottom of the linked page).

Data from the 2010-11 test scores is indicated in the chart below. A 'yes' means the school achieved AYP, a 'no' means it did not.

School Language Arts Math BTHS Yes No BMHS Yes No Vets Middle No No Lake Riviera Middle No Yes Drum Point ES No Yes Emma Havens Young ES No No Herbertsville ES Yes Yes Lanes Mill ES Yes Yes Midstreams ES Yes Yes Osbornville Yes Yes Vets ES No No

But regardless of AYP status, administrators said there were some good signs in last year's testing data. Math scores were generally up, according to Cynthia Kinney, a math supervisor.

"In grades three, four and five, we had more advanced proficient students and less partially proficient students," Kinney said.

The state ranks students as "advanced proficient," "proficient," or "partially proficient," the latter ranking indicating a non-passing score.

The high schools also received stronger scores in language arts, officials said. Those language rankings include not only regular education students, but students who may have just arrived in the United States and do not speak English, they pointed out.

Across the board, Lorusso said the district is working to improve test scores. Supervisors in each subject area have devised plans to make classroom testing better mirror state tests, and parent meetings are planned for several grade levels. Schools will also begin implementing a new writing program next year, and students at the elementary level will begin forming writing portfolios so progress can be better tracked.


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