By Matt Chiappardi, Staff Writer
The annual Report Cards released by the state Department of Education this week revealed some good marks for students throughout the East Windsor Regional School District.
Students scored advanced proficient, the highest level, at a rate above the state average, and partially proficient, meaning not passing the assessment, at a rate below the state average, in most of the categories. Moreover, some elementary classes scored well above the state average in a few categories.
”I have to credit the staff for the hard work they did so that the results turned out in a positive vein,” said Thomas Butler, the district’s interim superintendent. “I had nothing to do with it obviously, having not been here.”
Dr. Butler replaced former Superintendent Ron Bolandi, who retired sooner than expected at the beginning of the year due to health problems.
Spending per-pupil went up by more than $700 from $14,397 to $15,134. That amount is slightly below the state average of $15,168.
As for teacher pay, the median salary went down slightly from the year before but remained significantly higher than the state average. The median salary for a teacher at the school district was $71,130 annually in 2008-2009, compared to the year prior’s $71,855. That’s above the state average of $59,545 per year.
The figures, released Tuesday, are from the 2008-2009 school year and measure the performance of students from grades three through eight as well as high school students who took the High School Proficiency Assessments tests and the Scholastic Assessment Test.
Those not listed as advanced proficient or partial proficient are deemed proficient and having passed.
In Hightstown High School, 12.2 percent of students scored advanced proficient in the language arts portion of the HSPA. That’s up from 10 percent the year before, but slightly below the state average of 13.6 percent.
The number of students not passing the test (partially proficient) went up from the year before, from 10.9 percent to 13.1 percent. That is below the state average of 15.5 percent.
As for math, the high school saw a nearly10-percent increase in students not passing, from 20.8 percent to 30.3 percent. The state average is 26.4 percent.
However, students scoring advanced proficient went up some, from 22.3 percent to 26.5 percent. That score is above the state average of 23.4 percent.
Hightstown High School students also scored above the state average on each section of the SAT.
Those who took the test scored an average of 520 in math, 510 in verbal and 515 on the essay portion. The state averages are 515 for math, 494 for verbal and 494 for the essay.
Melvin H. Kreps Middle School students also performed well on their standardized tests.
In eighth-grade science, 44.2 percent of students scored advanced proficient up from 38.4 percent the year before and well above the state average of 30.6 percent
In eight-grade math, 40.8 percent scored advanced proficient up nearly 10 percent from the year before and above the 29.8 percent state average. Students not passing fell from 27 percent to 22.3 percent and was below the state average of 28.2 percent.
Eighth-grade language arts saw a drop in students scoring advanced proficient from 16.4 percent to 15.2 percent. The score was still above the state average of 11.2 percent.
In seventh-grade math, 35.6 students scored advanced proficient, up from 24.9 percent and above the 23.9 percent state average. Partially proficient (not passing) students measured 25.1 percent, down from last year’s 30.1 percent and below the 33.3 percent state average.
In language arts for seventh grade, 21.8 percent of students scored advanced proficient, up slightly from last year’s 21.1 percent and above the state average 18.3 percent. There were 19.9 percent of students not passing, down from last year’s 23.2 percent and below the 27.6 percent state average.
And in sixth grade, 31.2 percent of students scored advanced proficient in math, up from last year’s 27.3 percent and above the 25.5 percent state average.
Language arts for the same grade level had 9.1 percent of students scoring advanced proficient, up from last year’s 4.2 percent and above the 7.2 percent state average.
The percentage of students not passing dropped from 29.3 percent to 24.3 percent, and below the state average of 29.9 percent.
The trend continued across the district’s four elementary schools.
In fifth-grade math, 39.3 percent of students scored advanced proficient, above the state average of 32.2 percent but down from the 43 percent who performed at that level the year before.
There were 14.3 percent of students not passing, up from 13.4 percent the year before and below the 22.4 percent state average.
In language arts, 11.4 percent of students scored advanced proficient, nearly triple the 3.9 percent with that score the year before and above the 8.8 percent state average.
There were 28.6 percent of students not passing, up from 27.8 percent, and below the 33.9 percent state average.
Third- and fourth- graders were given new assessments in 2009 for both language arts and math, thus the state DOE does not compare the scores in the 2008-09 year to the prior school year.
For the new test, 34.6 percent of district fourth graders scored advanced proficient in math, above the state average of 27.6 percent.
There were 21.7 percent of students not passing, below the 26.8 percent state average.
In language arts, 6.6 percent of fourth-graders scored advanced proficient, slightly below the 6.8 percent state average.
There were 31.3 percent of students not passing, below the 36.8 percent state average.
Third-graders scored advanced proficient in math, equal to the 32 percent state average.
There were 23.8 percent not passing, below the 24.6 percent state average.
In language arts, 5.3 percent of students scored advanced proficient, slightly below the 5.8 percent state average.
However, 42.2 percent of third-graders did not pass, which was above the 37.1 percent state average.
Assistant Superintendent Michael Dzwonar, who is also in charge of curriculum for the high and middle schools, refused comment for this story.
mchiappardi
@centraljersey.com
