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Newark Public Schools students continued making gradual gains on standardized tests this year but still rank below statewide passing rates, according to new data released by the state last week.
A closer look at New Jersey’s largest school district shows improvements across the district and in certain schools and student subgroups — signs that local efforts to boost student skills in reading and math may be paying off.
The New Jersey Student Learning Assessments, commonly referred to as NJSLA, are administered annually in the spring for grades 3-9 in English language arts and math.
Statewide, just over half – 53% – of students passed the English language arts section, while 41% passed the math portion of the test, representing a nearly 1 percentage point increase from 2024. This year’s rate is still behind the 2019 proficiency rate of 57.6% by roughly 4.6 percentage points, according to the state’s analysis.
In Newark’s traditional public and charter schools – which are publicly funded but privately managed – less than half of the city’s students, 41.7%, passed the English language arts test, while 27% passed math this year, according to a Chalkbeat analysis.
According to the new data, 34% of Newark Public Schools students passed the English language arts test – roughly a percentage point under the 2019 score – while 21% of students passed math. In spring 2024, 31% of students passed the English portion of the test, while 17.7% passed the math assessment.
Newark Public Schools regained control of its schools after 25 years of state oversight and has struggled to recover from the effects of the pandemic, particularly on students, where more than 90% identify as Black or Latino.
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka in 2023 declared an urgent literacy crisis across the city as the district created a literacy plan that implemented new approaches to teaching phonics, explicit writing strategies, and professional development rooted in the science of reading.
During last week’s State Board of Education meeting, Education Commissioner Kevin Dehmer said the results represent an “important snapshot of student learning” across the state and “serve as a critical tool” for guiding the department’s “next steps.”
”Understanding where students are thriving and where additional support is needed will all help us in focusing our initiatives for maximum impact,” Dehmer said.
The new results come five years after the COVID-19 pandemic and mark the first time New Jersey students’ scores have returned to pre-pandemic levels in one subject: science. The rollout of a new adaptive state test this school year could also impact how students perform.
Dehmer, during the board of education meeting last week, cautioned that “statewide assessments are not the sole measure of success, but they are a valuable data point in our broader system of continuous improvement. They allow us to monitor progress over time, identify trends, and ensure that resources are directed where they can make the greatest difference.”
Statewide achievement gaps narrow among racial groups
Across the state, student performance increased in nearly all grade levels, showing how state and local efforts to boost student skills in reading, writing, and math have fared.
Gaps between the highest and lowest performing student racial groups in English language arts persist, but this year, they are the smallest they’ve been since 2016 at 43.4%, compared to 48.3% in 2022, state leaders said. In math, the gap grew to 56.6% in 2022 but dropped slightly to 55.2% this year.
In English language arts, Black students saw the highest increase — a 1.6% bump — from 2024, state officials noted last week. White students saw the second-highest performance increase at 1.4%, according to the state. In math, all student racial groups showed a 2% improvement or higher.
The state’s gradual improvements in test scores follow broader efforts aimed at strengthening how students learn and how schools measure progress.
This school year, New Jersey is introducing a new “adaptive” version of its standardized test where the difficulty of test questions is adjusted based on student responses.
The state also launched the new Literacy Framework this school year, which requires public school districts to screen students in grades K-3 for reading difficulties. In Newark, the city’s public schools are using Amira Learning, an AI-powered tool, as a universal screener to assess students’ ability to read, sound out words, and identify areas needing support.
The story continues after the data table.
Newark’s youngest learners make slow gains
In Newark, the state’s largest city, test scores show student performance gradually improving, especially among early learners.
Public school scores in English language arts went up across all elementary grade levels, but math scores, although improving, are growing at a slower pace than reading. Across the city’s public schools, 27.7% of third graders reached proficiency levels in English language arts, up from the 2024 rate of 23.4%, according to a Chalkbeat data analysis. Between 2022 and 2024, third graders scored the lowest in reading among all grades.
Third graders in two district schools exceed the state and district’s average in English language arts, including Michelle Obama Elementary School at 79.4% and Sir Issac Newton Elementary School at 54.8%, the Chalkbeat analysis found. A handful of Newark public schools scored below the state and district proficiency rate in the same subject, including First Avenue, Oliver Street, Belmont Runyon, Roberto Clemente, and Dr. E. Alma Flagg elementary schools.
Among charter schools, third graders in four schools — Maria L. Varisco-Rogers, Gray, Robert Treat, and North Star Academy Charter School — surpassed the state and district’s English language arts proficiency rate, according to the Chalkbeat analysis. Third graders at Marion P. Thomas, Roseville, and Team Academy charter schools scored below the state’s rate of 53%, but remained above the district’s average of 34% in English language arts.
Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.
