"We approach these results today with both confidence and humility," acting Education Commissioner Christopher Cerf said in a statement. While New Jersey students continue to perform at high levels overall, Cerf called the disparity in passage rates "a disgraceful legacy" that continues to affect tens of thousands of disadvantaged African American and Hispanic students.
"We must be honest with ourselves and our communities about this achievement gap, and be impatient and relentless in doing everything we can to close it once and for all," Cerf said.
Gov. Christie's administration used the test results to reinforce its call to adopt the governor's education-overhaul measures.
David Sciarra, direct of the Education Law Center, which has represented low-income, urban districts, found cause for optimism in the new scores. Education for poor students has improved in the state, he said.
"Despite Christie's narrative of failure, New Jersey compared to other states has been making some progress at narrowing the gap," Sciarra said. "Very few states have done that."
Statewide, 75 percent of students who took the math exam scored proficient or better and nearly 90 percent of students who took the language-arts test passed, according to education officials. Most of the students were in the 11th grade.
In Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester Counties, about 57 percent of high schools performed at or better than the state average in language arts, and about 51 percent did as well or better in math.
Many local high schools saw gains. Haddonfield Memorial High School was the top performer, with nearly 99 percent of test-takers scoring proficient or better in language arts and almost 96 percent passing in math, according to state data.
