Presentations leading up to the introduction of the 2012-’13 budget continued at the school board’s meeting on Tuesday, February 7, as Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Martin Smith shared the district’s most recent ranking in comparison to similar New Jersey school districts.
Using the socio-economic status of residents and other indicators such as population density to group the state’s districts, the New Jersey Department of Education has various district factor groups (DFG’s) that districts fall within. West Windsor-Plainsboro is categorized with townships that are considered “J” districts, which are those of the highest in socioeconomic status. The others are Montgomery, Cranbury, Chester, Glen Rock, Essex Fells, Mendham Boro and Township, Millburn, Mountain Lakes, the Chathams, Haddonfield, Harding, Ho Ho Kus, Little Silver, North Caldwell Boro, Northern Highlands,
Ridgewood, Rumson, Rumson-Fair Haven, Saddle River, Upper Saddle River, Tewksbury, Woodcliff Lake, and Bernards Township. The next level down in the state is “I” districts, of which there are 105.
At the board meeting Smith presented charts and graphs showing WW-P’s proficiency among the “J” districts for the 2010-’11 school year because this year’s data is not complete.
For NJASK scores, which are administered in grades 3 through 8, WW-P was mainly in step with other “J” districts. In ASK language arts literacy scores, WW-P equaled the average for the “J” districts as 96 to 97 percent of eighth-grade students scored advanced proficient, while slightly fewer of WW-P’s sixth and seventh graders scored proficient or advanced proficient than those of other “J” groups. The state averages for NJASK language arts had roughly 67 percent of sixth graders, 64 percent of seventh graders and 83 percent of eighth graders scoring proficient or advanced proficient.
In NJASK language arts, 24 percent of WW-P sixth graders, 34 percent of seventh graders, and 50 percent of eighth graders scored advanced proficient, better than the average for “J’” districts and miles ahead of New Jersey state averages. In NJASK mathematics WW-P was in line with the averages for total proficient and advanced proficient scores for all “J” districts. Overall, according to NJASK scores, WW-P does record a higher percentage of advanced proficient students than other districts.
“West Windsor-Plainsboro exceeds not only the state by a great number but also the district factor group’s number of students who are advanced proficient,” Smith said.
Smith then presented figures from the HSPA (high school proficiency assessment) for eleventh graders, which is a current graduation requirement. In this measure WW-P scored a percentage point below the mean for “J” group school districts as 96.9 percent of students were proficient or advanced proficient in language arts literacy, compared with a 97.8 percent average for the “J” group. Statewide, 89.6 percent of students scored either proficient or advanced proficient on this test. WW-P ranked about 3.3 percent greater in the number of advanced proficient students in language arts literacy than the J group, with 49.4 percent compared to 46.1, while on average 20.8 percent of New Jersey students rank advanced proficient in language arts.
For HSPA mathematics WW-P had 61.2 percent of students ranking advanced proficient, compared with an average of 56.9 percent for “J” districts and 25.3 percent for all New Jersey districts.
Smith also presented information on SAT scores in comparison with other “J” districts as well as AP results. SAT mathematics scores for High School South went up steadily from an average of 610 in 2006 to 640 in 2011. For North, average scores dropped in 2007, 2008 and 2010 but were also at 640 last year. The average for “J” group districts is currently just above 600.
In SAT critical reading scores North has now caught up to South in average scores at 600. The average for all “J” districts in 2010 was 575.
In SAT writing South has increased average scores from 600 in 2010 to 620 in 2011. North has climbed steadily over the last four years, averaging close to 600 in 2010 and 615 in 2011. Meanwhile the mean score for “J” districts was approximately 580 in 2010.
Smith said the SAT data signaled an accomplishment.
“Among high-performing school districts across the state of New Jersey of a comparable size, with 3,500 or more students, which is a significant number less than WW-P, our SAT total scores rank number one and four in the state,” he said.
For AP scores, Smith points out that nationally, because more students had been allowed to take honors and AP courses over the last few years, scores had declined on the whole “to the point where six AP exams have a modal (most frequent) score of a 1.” But Smith said WW-P hasn’t followed that trend, instead making the College Board’s AP honor roll.
“They acknowledged school districts across the country that have increased the number of students that have access to AP courses while simultaneously maintaining or continuing to develop the numbers of students scoring 3’s, 4’s and 5’s. West Windsor-Plainsboro is one of only eight New Jersey districts that have been on the AP honor roll for the past two years,” he said.
Smith mentioned some individual merits as well. WW-P had 128 AP Scholars, 81 AP scholars with honors and 184 AP scholars with distinction in 2010. There were also 35 AP national scholars in 2010. In addition the class of 2011 featured 43 national merit scholarship semifinalists.
