The first year of PARCC data is in and the WW-P school district performed true to form. Less than five percent of students from grades 3 to 11 opted out of the exam, according to assistant superintendent Martin Smith, who presented the district’s standardized testing report at the January 26 school board meeting.
The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC, was first administered last spring. The math and language arts exam is scored on a five-point scale. A student with a level one score is considered not yet at grade-level expectations, while students with scores of four or five meet state benchmarks for college-readiness.
Roughly 80 percent of grade 3 to 8 WW-P students scored at level 4 or 5 in PARCC language arts, while 60 to 70 percent of grade 9 to 11 language arts scored at level 4 or 5. Both percentages were significantly higher than state averages.
For the math PARCC, more than 75 percent of grades 3 to 7 scored at levels 4 and 5.
For grades 7 to 11, PARCC tests specific courses: Algebra 1 (70 percent at levels 4 and 5), Algebra 2 (under 60 percent), and Geometry (55 percent).
Smith added that the administration was aware the district’s geometry course and the PARCC geometry test had “significant gaps.” The district ordered new textbooks last March and implemented course adjustments this past summer to better align with the material on the PARCC exam.
The district analyzed PARCC sub-scores and found no significant deficiencies.
“The state cautions districts about dramatic changes given first-year unfamiliarity with the test,” Smith said.
The district’s opt-out rate is low compared to other high-performing districts like Princeton and Montclair. Smith said some schools in the state had opt-out rates exceeding 80 percent.
For grades three to eight, this year’s PARCC exams will be administered from April 4 to May 13. High school dates are from April 11 to May 20. According to Smith, any one school will only be testing for a two-week window of time, and parents will be notified of their child’s test dates.
The testing report presentation also included data on SAT and AP performance. North and South SAT averages were essentially the same, with the writing and critical reading sections averages a tick over 600. The average math score was around 650.
At South 1,073 AP scores were reported, with 536 fives, 291 fours, 168 threes, and less than 7 percent scoring below three. Of the 1,132 AP scores reported from North, there were 520 fives, 331, fours, 195 threes, and less than 7 percent below three.
A dozen parents were in attendance, and several voiced support for videotaping board meetings. Board vice president and administration & facilities (A&F) committee chair Michele Kaish said the committee held a preliminary discussion on the costs and requirements of implementing videotaping. The A&F committee will revisit the topic at its meeting on Tuesday, February 9.
Assistant superintendent Larry Shanok continued the tradition of opening budget discussion at the second board meeting of the year. Before discussing numbers, he emphasized the budget is a multi-year planning tool that considers volatility and manages risk. Compared to the nearby Princeton, Hopewell Valley, and Montgomery school districts, Shanok noted WW-P has kept per pupil costs low.
In addition to special services, two big budget topics are healthcare and transportation costs. Premiums for healthcare policies with child coverage have increased by more than 10 percent in each of the last two years, and transportation increased $400,000 this year, after a $250,000 increase last year.
The state will release its funding aid figures in late February, and the district will issue a preliminary budget March 22, followed by budget adoption on April 26.
K-12 guidance director Lee McDonald started the meeting with the semi-annual harassment, intimidation, and bullying (HIB) report. From September through December, 2015, there were nine HIB investigations and five confirmed cases. McDonald noted the data is down in comparison to the past three years, but last fall is also not large enough of a sample size. The district began tracking HIB five years ago in accordance with state legislation passed in 2011.
McDonald also reported survey results from students, teachers, and parents as part of the NJ School Climate Survey. The surveys were conducted via E-mail last spring, and responses showed strong consensus regarding the school’s positive learning conditions. McDonald did note that of the 476 student responses, 30 percent agree or strongly agree that it is okay to cheat if other students are cheating.
In his comments, superintendent David Aderhold addressed district snow day procedures. He said he has received questions on the process after the district announced its January 25 snow day.
“It comes down to, do we believe it is safe for children to come to school?” Aderhold said.
The major deciding factor in the most recent snow day was that busing contractors were not prepared to dig buses out and have drivers available, and so the decision was made on Sunday, January 24, to cancel school the next day.
The administration also announced the hiring of Kristen Hanson as special services director. Her salary will be $113,936.
The next school board meeting is Tuesday, February 16.
