Hillsborough results lowest among
comparable districts in county
By:Sally Goldenberg
Hillsborough scored above the state average but below similar districts in Somerset County on the High School Proficiency Assessment, administered for the first time in New Jersey last spring.
The New Jersey Department of Education last week released the results of the HSPA, which replaced the High School Proficiency Test.
Juniors in the district scored higher on the language arts section than on the math section, with 98 percent passing the former and 89.7 percent passing the latter for an average passing rate of 88.3 percent among general education students.
Comparatively, Watchung Hills Regional a district of like socioeconomic classification in Somerset County had an overall passing rate of 92.5 percent among general education students. Somerset Hills in Somerset County, also of similar socioeconomic classification based on state rankings, had a 93.4 percent passing rate for general education students.
Combined with nongeneral education students who took the test, the passing rate in Hillsborough was 81.1 percent and the rate of general education students who scored advanced on both sections was 15.2 percent. Those figures do not match up to Bernards Township in Somerset County, which reported an 89.5 percent passing rate of all students, including nongeneral education, and a 27.6 percent rate of students scoring advanced on both sections.
Hillsborough placed lowest in the county among its socioeconomic peers and lower than many similar districts throughout the state in the rate of students passing and scoring advanced on both test sections.
The news improves with a broader comparison: Hillsborough surpassed the state average passing rate for general education students of 74.5 percent. The district also scored above the 9.9 percent state average of students scoring advanced on both sections and the 65.8 percent passage rate for all students.
Superintendent of Schools Robert Gulick declined to comment on the scores because he had not seen them before press time.
Resident Michael Detsis, a parent of three in the district who has publicly criticized the Board of Education, said the scores reflect what he considers to be inadequate focus on curriculum in the district.
"It indicts, certainly, the administration and the board for ignoring the curriculum. The curriculum gets winked at," he said.
Mr. Detsis said he wants the board to incorporate more money for academics and less for athletics.
"There is no accountability on delivering anything in this school district," he said.
Hillsborough is classified as District Factor Group "I" under the state’s ranking system, which groups districts based on socioeconomic factors.
The HSPA offers three rating options: partially proficient, proficient and advanced proficient. Students must score in the latter two on both sections in order to graduate from high school, Department of Education spokesman Richard Vespucci said.
The new test better reflects the state Core Curriculum Content Standards, which drive curriculum in districts statewide, Mr. Vespucci continued.
He discouraged a comparison in results between the HSPT and the HSPA, claiming the new test is "more rigorous."

