Today, during the monthly public State Board of Education meeting,  the New Jersey Department of Education released statewide student test scores from spring’s 2023 NJ Student Learning Assessments (NJSLA) in English Language Arts (ELA or reading), math, and science.

The bottom line: There were small increases, as NJ Ed Report noted in a preview, in all grades and subjects except for third-grade reading, where scores declined; some math scores were flat. Student outcomes were far behind pre-pandemic results, as they have been for most of America (not all) and in most of the world.

The Board had a number of questions and comments for Acting Commissioner Angelica Allen-McMillan, who will be retiring in January after a three-year term that some describe as tumultuous. (Gov. Murphy has yet to name a successor.) They wondered when students would resume scoring at pre-pandemic levels, why scores on Algebra 1 are “stagnant” (President Kathy Goldenberg called these results “disheartening”), expressed alarm at the achievement gaps between students of color and Asian and white students (46.9%; member Arcelio Aponte called the gaps “tragic”), asked for more granular data, noted that the NJSLA results are “one moment in time” and a “singular lens,” and said teachers are making “Herculean efforts.”

Vice President Andrew Mulvihill compared the scores on the high school graduation test called NJGPA and the results on the NJSLA. “I would like to point out one thing that is interesting,” he said. “If you look at the [NJSLA] scores you’ll see they’re much much lower than our graduation test [NJGPA]. I don’t know what miracle we’ve achieved with the graduation test but it’s not consistent with the other grades. It’s artificially high [80.5% proficiency level in ELA, 55% in math]. We’re giving students a [high school diploma] that doesn’t mean much.”

Mulvihill suggested the Board revisit its decision to lower the standards on the NJGPA when last year it changed “proficiency” to mean “approaching expectations” rather than “meeting expectations.”

Here are some slides from today’s presentation. This first one shows the trend from 2016-2023 in math for all NJ test-takers (grades 3-8, Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2). DOE staff noted that only the highest-achieving students take tests in Geometry and Algebra 2, which is why the proficiency numbers are so high. They also called attention to grade 8, where student proficiency levels are low. All scores are higher than last year with the exception of Algebra 1; all scores are below pre-pandemic levels except for the most advanced math students.

These are the results for reading tests, grades 3-9, over the same time period. Third-grade reading levels, regarded as a benchmark for future academic success, remain unchanged: 42% of third-grade NJ students can read at grade level. Other grades performed slightly higher than last year.

This data shows the percentage of students who fall into each category of proficiency in math. There are five levels: Not Yet Meeting Expectations, Partially Meeting Expectations, Approaching Expectations, Meeting Expectations, and Exceeding Expectations. Levels 4 and 5 meet proficiency standards. The right side of the chart shows changes in percentages of students who scored in the lowest two levels and the change in percentages of students who scored in the highest two levels. Overall, except for seventh grade and Algebra 1, there were slight improvements.

This is the data for ELA, broken done by levels (see above). Third-graders’ proficiency levels declined very slightly, by 0.4%, which is why the second chart shows no improvement. All other grades improved, with the best outcome for grade 8, where the percentage of students testing proficient (levels 4 and 5) increased by 3.9%.

These are the results of the NJGPA, a new test that determines whether students are “graduation-ready.” (If they’re not, there are multiple alternative paths to receiving a NJ high school diploma.) This is the chart that got Mulvihill’s attention: 80.5% of students who took the NJGPA, typically 11th graders, received scores that deemed them “proficient” in ELA. Yet two years earlier in ninth grade among a similar cohort of students only 52% were labeled “proficient” (36.8% Level 4, 15.3% Level 5).

In other business, the Board reviewed the scores of ten school districts based on the state accountability rubric called QSAC, or Quality Single Accountability Continuum. Districts must received 80 out of 100 points in five areas: Instruction & Program, Operations, Personnel, Governance, and Fiscal Management. Only three of the ten districts received passing scores; of the seven who didn’t, all failed the Instruction & Program section. This section doesn’t just use NJSLA test scores but also attendance rates, graduation rates, curricular alignment with state standards, and tiered supports for students. Board members also expressed their admiration for Acting Commissioner Allen-McMillan.