Newark Public School Students ‘On Right Path’ For State Testing – Newark, NJ Patch

NEWARK, NJ — Newark’s public school students are on the right path when it comes to state testing, according to a recent study.

Earlier this month, the nonprofit New Jersey Children’s Foundation (NJCF) released a report that offered some positive news to Newark parents: the city’s public school students posted a fourth consecutive year of improved results on New Jersey state tests.

The news was also bright in Newark’s public charter schools, which beat the state average for the second consecutive year, the nonprofit stated.

According to the NJCF:

“Newark’s public charter school students posted stand out results, besting New Jersey’s statewide average for the second consecutive year–a notable feat in a state that was recently ranked number one in public education. 53 percent of public charter school students were proficient in ELA and Math this year, continuing their work to reverse the achievement gap for Newark kids who are more than twice as likely to be from low income, black and hispanic households than the average New Jersey student.”

The NJCF stated:

“The citywide average of math and reading test scores across all district and charter school students showed improvement yet again this year. This measure has improved every year since the state began using new, more rigorous learning standards five years ago.”

According to the NJCF:

“Key components of the test changed for 2019, which some have attributed to the slower overall rate of improvement–as is common with such transitions. While the rate of improvement may have slowed, the increase in the percentage of proficient students citywide is likely attributable to the growing overall number of students in the city’s high-performing charter school sector. A more detailed breakdown of proficiency rates in math and reading shows that Newark’s schools largely followed the statewide pattern of slower increases in proficiency.”

“This data is proof positive that Newark is on the right path: a citywide school system of improving district schools alongside growing charter schools that all work together as neighbors and collaborators,” said Kyle Rosenkrans, executive director at the NJCF.

“The bottom line is that a larger share of Newark kids are reading and doing math on grade level again this year, and in so doing, they show the rest of the state and the country what’s possible,” Rosenkrans said.

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