Schools in the WW-P district rank highly compared to their peers and schools statewide, according to the recently released annual state performance report cards. And though the percentile rankings for some WW-P schools, particularly at the elementary level, appear to have dropped considerably, changes in the state’s methodology make it difficult to compare this year’s rankings with previous years. See chart at right for all of this year’s percentile rankings.
New this year were “peer groups” rather than the “district factor groups” previously used to compare schools with similar demographic characteristics. Peer groups, each with 30 schools, were determined by grade level and percentage of students with free or reduced price lunches, limited English proficiency, and in special education. This change meant that WW-P schools were not necessarily compared to the same schools as in previous years and also makes it hard to compare peer rankings within the district. Only Grover and Community middle schools were in the same peer group.
All schools are given scores for academic achievement and college and career readiness. Schools offering grades four through eight are also scored on student growth, based on scores on the NJ ASK test. And high schools are also evaluated in graduation and post-secondary, a measure of how many students complete high school in four years or drop out.
In grades kindergarten through eight, academic achievement is based on language arts and math literacy. Percentile rankings for high schools also take into account scores on the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA).
Criteria for college and career readiness at the high school level include the percentage of students taking the SAT and PSAT as well as Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate classes. Elementary and middle school rankings take into account absenteeism as well as the percentage of students taking Algebra I in eighth grade.
According to assistant superintendent Martin Smith, the absenteeism factor contributes to the low college and career readiness rankings achieved by some of the district’s elementary schools. “In our district, because of its diversity, we have a number of families who travel a significant distance to visit family and use some school days for their travel. This is especially true at the lower grades,” Smith said.
Absenteeism, however, does not translate to poor performance. “Despite the absences our schools rank very well in the category of academic achievement,” Smith said. “Additionally, the ranking for college and career readiness goes way up across the board as the students move on to upper elementary, middle, and high school. So this ranking is really not a serious concern for our district.”
And West Windsor’s two high schools, as expected, fared well compared to their peers. High School South was in the 92nd percentile for academic achievement, 89th for college and career readiness, and 52nd in graduation and post-secondary. South’s peer group included Hillsborough, Hunterdon Central, Tenafly, and Cherry Hill East high schools.
High School North, in a different peer group, was in the 87th percentile for academic achievement, 90th for college and career readiness, and 49th for graduation and post-secondary. Also in North’s peer group were Robbinsville High School, which ranked in the 91st percentile for academic achievement, 29th for college and career readiness, and 57th for academic and post-secondary; and Montgomery High School in the 57th, 77th, and 46th percentiles, respectively. Other districts with which WW-P schools are frequently compared, for example Princeton and Hopewell, were in separate peer groups.
School Board member Rachelle Feldman-Hurwitz, speaking on behalf of Richard Kaye, said “While overall, the district is pleased with the high rankings received by all of our scores, there are still some areas of concern that we will be looking at. We will be carefully reviewing the data to make sure that the needs of all of our students, especially the ‘struggling learners,’ are being consistently addressed.”
“In addition, there was one error in the reports, in the area of Biology Honors. The report grossly under-reported the number of students at High School North who scored in the ‘advanced proficient’ category. [The report lists that number as 1 percent; down from 40 percent the previous year]. This is an error, made by the Department of Education. On behalf of the district, Martin Smith has already contacted DOE to have them correct this number.”
