Students at all levels of the West Windsor-Plainsboro school district continue to earn high scores on standardized tests, according to a report presented to the Board of Education last month.##M:[more]##
Not only do students in WW-P score higher than the state and national averages, they also score higher on tests than students in school districts at the same socio-economic level.
Geraldine Hutner, school district spokesperson, did not return calls from the News seeking comment and clarification on the report.
“These tests provide a limited, but objective, measure of students’ knowledge and skill in the areas of reading, writing, language arts, math, and science,” says the report, which was prepared by the school district.
“For high school students, standardized tests measure achievement in other content areas such as literature, history, computer science, the arts, and world languages.”
The report also states that testing can be used to measure “the overall success of a school district in meeting the educational needs of its students,” and also help call attention to strengths and weaknesses in the curriculum. The tests can also help identify students who may need additional assistance.
This year, WW-P continued its trend of having students earning high SAT scores, coupled with a large number of students taking the test. WW-P officials continue to point out that some districts only test their elite students, leading to inflated SAT scores.
In WW-P, a total of 629 seniors from the Class of 2005 took the SAT as of last March, representing 97 percent of the senior class. Both math and verbal scores increased over the previous year.
The average verbal score was 596, an increase of 13 points over 2004. The score was 93 points higher than the state average, and 88 points higher than the national average.
The average math score was 627, an increase of 14 points over 2004. It was also 110 points higher than the statewide average, and 107 points higher than the national score.
Early indications of the scores for the new writing section of the SAT from the Class of 2006 also look positive. The national average for the first three test administrations was 516. The WW-P average score for writing was 602 based on a sample of 315 juniors.
The district also fared well on the Advanced Placement exams, which have a score that ranges from 1 to 5, with a 3 or higher considered a “passing” score.
In 2004, 1,”038 AP tests were taken by 488 WW-P students in 29 subject areas, with some 90 percent scoring a 3 or higher. There were 425 grades of 5 on the AP exams, 289 scores of 4, and 217 scores of 3.
Some 90 percent of the 292 High School South students taking 596 AP tests earned scores of 3 or higher. At High School North, 196 students took 542 AP exams, with 89 percent scoring 3 or higher.
Scores were slightly lower in 2005, when more than 100 additional students took the test. District-wide, 1,”212 AP tests were taken by 592 students in 30 subject areas, with 88 percent scoring 3 or higher. There were 466 grades of 5 on the AP exams, 345 scores of 4, and 253 scores of 3.
High School South had 680 AP tests taken by 331 students, with 89 percent scoring 3 or higher. A total of 261 students at High School North took 532 AP tests, with 87 percent scoring 3 or higher.
The report postulates that the “slightly downward trend” in scores of 5 the exams might be attributed to the fact that there has been a significant increase in access to AP classes. According to the report, the district encourages juniors, as well as seniors, to consider taking the exams.
On the PSAT exam, WW-P continued the trend of out-scoring the state and national averages. The overall averages for the district were 52.4 for critical reading, 57 for math, and 55.1 for writing. This is opposed to state averages of 46.5 for critical reading, 48.7 for math, and 50.1 for writing, and national averages of 46.9 for critical reading, 48.8 for math, and 50.5 for writing.
At High School North, the average scores were 52.5 for critical reading, 56.9 for math, and 55.7 for writing. At High School South, they were 52.4 for critical reading, 57 for math, and 54.6 for writing.
The report says that comparisons to previous years’ PSAT scores are not “valid” because the 2004-’05 school year was the first where verbal was changed to critical reading to mirror the new SAT. The math section of the SAT was also changed to include more advanced topics.
Grade 11 Scores. In New Jersey, all 11th grade students are required to take and pass the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA). The HSPA measures the more rigorous academic content standards and workplace readiness skills outlined in the state’s Core Curriculum Content Standards.
Seniors who have not passed both sections of the HSPA begin a Special Review Assessment (SRA) in order to help them meet the minimum level of proficiency for the HSPA. Passing the HSPA is a requirement for graduation.
Students who score in the partially proficient level are considered to be below the state minimum and must receive additional targeted or instructional support, which could be in the form of individual or programmatic intervention.
Although the report does not give specific results for 2005 HSPA scores, it does say that only one student at High School North and two students at High School South graduated through the SRA process this year.
Grade 8 Scores. The Grade Eight Proficiency Assessment (GEPA) tests language arts literacy, math, and science. The results of the test are used as an important source of information for determining whether students need supplemental instruction in reading, math, or writing in later grades, says the report. “The GEPA is also used for program planning to ensure that the curriculum prepares students for the skills and knowledge that they must master to pass the state’s graduation test.”
The GEPA was taken by to 639 WW-P eighth grade students last March. In language arts literacy, 97.2 percent scored at a proficient or advanced proficient level. In math, 94.5 percent scored at a proficient or advanced proficient level. In science, 96.8 percent earned proficient or advanced proficient scores.
According to the report, in the areas of language arts/literacy, math, and science, there were slight increases from proficient to advanced proficient between 2004 and 2005.
“The increase may be attributed to the continuation of increased time in the classroom with the new middle school schedule,” says the report.
Grade 6 Scores. Sixth grade students took the TerraNova in 2005, a test that measures students’ skills and strategies in the areas of reading/language arts and math in comparison to a national sample.
The results showed that the students ranged from the 83rd to the 93rd percentile in reading, language, and math. Overall, WW-P performed better than 90 percent of students across the nation on the test.
Students at Community Middle School scored at 80 percent in reading, 86 percent in language arts literacy, 93 percent in math, and 80 percent overall.
The numbers at Grover Middle School were higher, with students there scoring at 84 percent in reading, 87 percent in language arts literacy, 94 percent in math, and 91 percent overall.
Grade 4 Scores. The New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge (NJASK) is given to students in third and fourth grade to measure their progress during grades K-4. In 2005, 602 students were tested in language arts and math, and 599 students were tested in science for the NJASK4.
In language arts, the percentage of students scoring at the proficient or advanced proficient level was 95.7 percent. In math, those scoring at the proficient or advanced proficient level was 93.8 percent.
The percentage of students scoring at the advanced proficient level in math was 56.3 percent, language arts literacy was 7.8 percent, and science was 45.4 percent.
Grade 3 Scores. In 2003-04, 571 students took NJASK3 test district wide, earning higher average scores than similar school districts, and also than the statewide average. Wicoff had 85 students taking the test; Town Center, 161; Dutch Neck, 159; and Maurice Hawk, 166.
District-wide Language Arts results showed less than 1 percent with partial proficiency, 84.4 percent testing at the proficient level, and 14.7 percent at the advanced level.
WW-P fared well when compared to similar school districts in New Jersey. Out of a total 16,”288 students tested, 3.50 percent were partially proficient, 87.1 percent proficient, and 9.4 percent at the advanced level.
A total of 83,”465 took the test statewide, with 13.6 percent at partial proficiency, 81.9 percent proficient, and 4.50 percent advanced. A breakdown of WW-P elementary schools’ language arts scores follows:
• Wicoff — 1.2 percent partially proficient, 83.5 percent proficient, and 15.3 percent advanced.
• Town Center School — 91.3 percent proficient, and 8.7 advanced.
• Dutch Neck — 1.3 percent partially proficient, 82.4 percent proficient, and 16.4 percent advanced.
• Maurice Hawk — 1.2 percent partially proficient, 80.1 percent proficient, and 18.7 percent advanced.
District-wide in math, 3 percent scored as being partially proficient, 42.9 percent proficient, and 54.1 percent advanced.
A total of 16,”189 students in similar districts were tested, with 6.4 percent at partially proficient, 53.7 percent proficient, and 39.9 percent advanced.
Statewide, 83,”326 students were tested, with 18.4 percent partially proficient, 55.7 percent proficient, and 25.9 percent advanced. A breakdown of schools’ math scores follows:
• Wicoff — 37.6 percent proficient, and 62.4 percent advanced.
• Town Center — 4.3 percent partially proficient, 41 percent proficient, and 54.7 percent advanced.
• Dutch Neck — 4.4 percent partially proficient, 45.3 percent proficient, and 50.3 percent advanced.
• Maurice Hawk — 1.80 percent partially proficient, 45.2 percent proficient, and 53 percent advanced. n
