The groups pushing for the dismantling of public education as we know it, love to bring up test scores.  They are fed these same talking points from the same organizations that want to end public education.  They will put out facts (test scores did decline) but then misrepresent the data and what it means. They will claim they have the solution to this “problem.”

First of all, let’s discuss the testing they are referring to. 

Brief history of standardized testing in NJ:

The New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge (NJ ASK) was implemented in 2004 to fourth graders, then expanded in 2006 to grades 5-7.  It was described as a test where the results would be used by schools and districts to identify strengths and weaknesses in their educational program.  They reported that implementing the this test would lead to improved instruction  to help identify students who may need support. 

When NJ switched to PARCC testing in 2015, the NJ DOE stated that NJ ASK did not play a significant role in the improvement of instruction or the advancement of student outcomes. 

It was reported that “for the first time in history of statewide testing, NJ will have an assessment that is designed to actually improve schools and give parents meaningful feedback about their children’s academic progress,” when referring to PARCC.

That’s almost exactly what they said about ask in 2004 

PARCC then lasted 4 years, until the NJ DOE switched to the NJ Student Learning Assessment (NJSLA) in 2018.  NJSLA uses same question bank as PARCC and uses the same Pearson platform.  

NJDOE describes NJSLA as:  

“ELA assessments will focus on close reading, synthesizing ideas within and across texts, determining the meaning of words and phrases in context, and writing effectively when using and/or analyzing sources. Mathematics assessments will focus on applying skills and concepts and understanding multi-step problems that require abstract reasoning and modeling real-world problems, precision, perseverance, and strategic use of tools. Science assessments will focus on applying scientific concepts and practices within the domains of Earth & space, life, and physical science. Students will demonstrate their acquired skills and knowledge by answering selected-response items, constructed response items and technology-enhanced questions.”

The NJSLA was only administered once in 2019 before COVID, so there is only one year of data to compare with post COVID test scores.  It was then not administered in 2020 or 2021.

None of these tests are diagnostic.  Your teacher is the best source of information on how your child is doing.  Teachers and administrator never see the questions on these tests and cannot use the results (whenever they get them) to implement any actionable plan.  

There are also shorter standardized tests sometimes called benchmark tests, that are given at least two times a year. All Title 1 schools must administer them.  

Federal accountability requires states to test students in ELA and math every year in grades 3-8, and once in high school. Science is tested once in elementary, once in middle, once in high school.  

NJ’s federal accountability test is NJSLA, and dynamic learning maps for students with disabilities  

Historically NJ does more than federally required in high school. The state has to administer these tests, students are permitted to opt out.  

NJ also administers the High School Exit test, which is NJ specific. It is not a federal requirement and costs the state $5million a year. In 2023, only 8 states in the county required an exit test. The test has not shown to help those who pass (statistically the wealthy white students). It requires students with the least personal and institutional resources to jump through more hoops to graduate.  

NJ already has requirements, such as: passing grades, specific course work, number of credits, and attendance needed for graduation. 

National Assessment of Educational Proficiency (NAEP), also referred to as the Nation’s report card is an assessment used across the nation given to a stratified sample of 4^th and 8^th graders. 

What are the actual numbers?

Student’s scores DID drop during covid. That part is true. 

When you compare NJ to the rest of the country based on these scores you can see that between 2019 and 2022, NJ scores remained the same (8th grade reading), compared to the national average of a 3-point decline. 

NJ Grade 4 – Math scores 

77% at or above basic

NJ Grade 4 – Reading scores 

67% at or above basic

38% at or above proficient. 

NJ Grade 8 –  Math Scores

67% at or above basic

33% at or above proficient

NJ Grade 8 – Reading Scores

77%  at or above basic

42% at or above proficient

But those who like to fear monger and misrepresent the data, claim that these scores show that 60% of children can’t read at grade level. 

“Proficient” in NAEP means ABOVE grade level.  There is Basic, Proficient, and Advanced. These tests are also not based on state standards or current curriculum (from the NAEP website – “It should be noted that the NAEP Proficient achievement level does not represent grade level proficiency as determined by other assessment standards”).

You can see that students at NAEP Basic average 96% accuracy, a level that no literacy expert would consider as identifying non-readers.

Second, students at NAEP proficient demonstrate 97% accuracy, only one more word per 100 read accurately than NAEP Basic students.

Proficient on NAEP means competency over challenging subject matter. This is not the same thing as being “on grade level,” which refers to performance on local curriculum and standards.

The National Center for Education Statistics warns that federal law requires that NAEP achievement levels be used on a trial basis until the Commissioner of Education Statistics determines that the achievement levels are “reasonable, valid, and informative to the public.”

As the NCES website states, “So far, no Commissioner has made such a determination, and the achievement levels remain in a trial status. The achievement levels should continue to be interpreted and used with caution.”

Confounding NAEP proficiency with grade-level is uninformed.

Weaponizing test scores has been going on for 40 plus years in an ongoing effort to end public education as we know it.  It has been an excuse to demonize teachers and administrators and defund poorly performing schools and districts, when in fact, test scores can be predicted by zip code, census date and income.

The end goal is privatizing education through charter schools and vouchers.  

It’s easy to share these kinds of talking points and make it sound alarming when most people don’t know a lot about the tests or scoring. 

How NJ ranks nationwide

Based on the NAEP, NJ ranks:

6th in the county in 4th grade reading

2nd in the country in 8th grade reading scores (behind only the Department of Defense education system)

8th in the country in 4th grade math scores

6th in the county in 8th grade math scores 

A different standardized test, the NJSLA, was just discussed at a recent board meeting, you can see the presentation here. This testing is where the stats have come from that you may have hear recently, that only 42% of children entering 4th grade are reading at grade level.

We agree, that is a concerning statistic, but what is the context?

You can see from the presentation, that statistic is for the state of NJ.

Roxbury tested at 46% – meaning higher than the state average.

Testing from 2019, pre covid shows that Roxbury had 59% of third graders reading at grade level, compared to the state average of 50%.

Remember, the NJSLA was only administered once in 2019 before COVID, so there is only one year of data to compare with post COVID test scores.  It was then not administered in 2020 or 2021.

Is there room for improvement? Of course! There always is!  There has absolutely been a learning loss post covid. We can all agree on that, but when M4L suggests a need to get “back to basics,” and brings up test scores with no context, listen for what comes next. Are they advocating for how to improve those test scores? Or just suggesting taking things away that they disagree with, like SEL, sex ed, or books in the library?

NJ has a great public school system, and it’s a shame extremist groups try to misrepresent that to scare people. 

Remember- FACTS! Not fear!