October 18,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, its that’s time of the year and once again the Ridgewood School District is reporting it’s overall success against the standardized test . While we have never been a big fan of standardized tests , we realize that in life there are many that must be overcome to meet licensing requirements , degrees and career requirements.
I guess for the non believers the best that can be said is that you need to excel on standardized test to gain entrance to top universities and or career vocations.
Assistant Superintendent Ms. Stacie Poelstra gave an overview of results of the spring 2017 PARCC testing and also spoke about upcoming changes to the science assessments coming in spring 2018. Overall, Ridgewood students did very well, indicating performance at a high level. The district utilizes the data to inform best practices to identify and allocate resources towards areas for improvement to meet the needs of the students.
In 2015, New Jersey adopted the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) to replace HSPA and previous assessments in the elementary and middle school in language arts and mathematics.
Students took PARCC English Language Arts and Literacy Assessments (ELA/L) in grades 3 – 11.
Students took PARCC Mathematics Assessments in grades 3 – 8 and End of Course Assessments in Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II.
Students in grades 4 and 8 took the NJASK in Science.
Students who completed a biology course took the New Jersey Biology Competency Test
A new science assessment, replacing the NJASK and NJBCT, will be administered in spring 2018 and will be aligned to the New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Science.
Level 1: Not yet meeting grade-level expectations
Level 2: Partially meeting grade-level expectations
Level 3: Approaching grade-level expectations
Level 4: Meeting grade-level expectations
Level 5: Exceeding grade-level expectations
Top take aways :
1)Ridgewood students across the district continue to perform at a very high level in all standardized assessments.
2)Analysis of pertinent data is ongoing and is used to inform curricular decisions and advance instructional practice.
3) We will continue to adapt to new testing requirements as outlined by the New Jersey Department of Education, and will be as proactive as we can in communicating with all stakeholders regarding changes to the state’s mandated testing protocols.
Click here to access the presentation.https://www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us/UserFiles/Servers/Server_207516/File/Academics/Curriculum,%20Instruction,%20&%20Assessment/2017%20state%20testing%20report.pdf
