Language Arts

The Downingtown area school board has given tentative approval to a budget of $53.7 million for next year - and a 13 percent tax hike to pay for it. At its meeting Wednesday, the board voted, 6-3, to pass the budget and to set the millage rate at 169, an increase of almost 19 1/2 mills. The new millage rate means the owner of a property with an assessment of $11,000 would pay about $214 more, for a total of $1,859.00 in property taxes. A mill equals a tax bill of $1 for each $1,000 assessed valuation.

New Jersey's fourth graders have suddenly become smarter. At least, that is how it might seem to the casual observer, judging by newly revised scores on the controversial language-arts tests given to all public-school fourth graders the last two years. In some districts, the number of students passing the standardized exam climbed by more than 25 percentage points. The scores had no effect on whether a student was promoted to the fifth grade. The idea behind the tests was to help teachers assess weaknesses in their pupils' ability, but state education officials were criticized over the scoring because, in both years, fewer than half of the fourth graders passed the exam.

The Lower Merion school board has discussed implementing a sixth-grade language arts program that may begin in the fall. Alan Rosenau, director of secondary education, said the current program consisting of two separate English and reading courses did not effectively integrate reading, writing and English. Adrienne DeFuria, a sixth-grade teacher, said at Monday night's school board meeting that the content of the language-arts program would involve strategies to improve students' oral communication, listening, reading and writing skills.

A majority of South Jersey public and charter middle schools improved their performance on state standardized tests for math and language arts last year, according to the New Jersey report card released yesterday. Their gains mirrored a statewide trend among middle schools - a positive development that a spokeswoman for the state's Department of Education attributed to students and teachers becoming accustomed to more rigorous test scoring put in place two years ago. When more demanding standards are implemented and scores fall, "they'll usually bounce back the next year," said spokeswoman Beth Auerswald.

Four South Jersey school districts, including Lenape Regional, were put on the state's newest "needs improvement" list yesterday because their students failed to meet federal benchmarks in math and language arts. Statewide, 30 districts and three charter schools failed to make adequate yearly progress under the federal No Child Left Behind law. Joining Lenape, traditionally a top performer, the other districts in the region that landed on the state's list were Camden, Winslow, and Camden County Vocational.

New Jersey announced standardized test scores yesterday for each public school in the state, setting off the annual exercise among teachers and principals of seeing how their students stack up against their peers. But as they have been for months, many local school officials seemed more concerned about whether the tests themselves - administered for the first time this year to fourth and eighth graders - were valid. Much of the concern centers on an apparent oddity at the fourth-grade level, seen in the statewide scores released in September and in the school-by-school results made public yesterday: New Jersey students appear to be a bunch of crackerjack scientists who can't read or write.

Test scores for Camden fourth graders increased markedly on the latest state standard tests, with a majority passing language arts and math, school officials said yesterday. Although most eighth and 11th graders in South Jersey's largest public school system again failed to meet state proficiency standards, district officials said the elementary school students showed significant improvement over the previous spring's tests. Among general-education fourth graders districtwide, 65 percent achieved proficiency in language arts, up 11 percent.

Cherry Hill elementary and middle schoolers' test scores made significant gains over previous years' marks, the district said yesterday. Although Cherry Hill was recently reclassified by the state from one of the wealthiest districts to a middle-of-the-road one, its scores largely outpaced the averages for both economic groups. Ninety percent of eighth graders were proficient or advanced proficient in language arts, compared with 88 percent last year. In math, 84 percent were proficient or advanced proficient; last year, 70 percent were.

When the New Jersey Department of Education released the latest batch of standardized test scores last week, there were some striking differences in the achievement levels of students in different schools. Even within the same school district, the 1986-87 scores on the basic skills tests given to third and sixth graders often varied significantly from school to school. In Delran Township, 100 percent of the third graders at the Aronson Bell Elementary School passed the standardized reading test, while at the Cambridge Elementary School, only 81.3 percent passed.

Two-thirds of South Jersey's public high schools maintained or improved their performance on the state's most recent standardized math exam and nearly 71 percent did so on the language-arts test, according to data released Wednesday by the New Jersey Department of Education. Statewide, the passage rates on the High School Proficiency Assessments showed progress in narrowing the achievement gaps between economically disadvantaged students and their nondisadvantaged counterparts, and between white and Asian students and their black and Hispanic fellow pupils.

Persistently low test scores placed one of Camden's six charter schools on the state's new "priority list" of the lowest-performing schools last month, and a recent review of Freedom Academy Charter School just landed it on probation status. The middle school, which opened in 2004, could have its charter revoked if it does not implement a remedial plan by mid-August and if its academic performance does not improve, according to a letter from the state sent to Freedom Academy officials last week.

Gov. Christie announced Monday that he wanted to do away with the state's current high school assessment exams and instead use end-of-course tests. Christie was endorsing recommendations of the College and Career Readiness Task Force, which found that the state assessments now in use — the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA) and the Alternative High School Assessment (AHSA) — are not aligned with standards New Jersey and most other states have adopted and are not a good gauge of whether students are prepared for college.

Two-thirds of South Jersey's public high schools maintained or improved their performance on the state's most recent standardized math exam and nearly 71 percent did so on the language-arts test, according to data released Wednesday by the New Jersey Department of Education. Statewide, the passage rates on the High School Proficiency Assessments showed progress in narrowing the achievement gaps between economically disadvantaged students and their nondisadvantaged counterparts, and between white and Asian students and their black and Hispanic fellow pupils.

Once again, thousands of New Jersey students could be in danger of not graduating unless they pass the state's alternative exit exam in coming weeks. Students' third and final opportunity to pass the Alternative High School Assessment (AHSA) ends July 13. Many students failed the same test last school year, the first time it was administered. The state Education Department declined to estimate how many are in jeopardy of not graduating this year, because the test-taking and appeals are continuing, said spokeswoman Allison Kobus.

Teachers and students at William Penn Middle School in Yardley are mourning the loss of two teachers who died less than a week apart. Janine Giuliano, with the Pennsbury School District since 1992, died at home last weekend, according to school officials. She taught seventh-grade math at the time of her death. Marguerite Ferraro, 40, a seventh-grade teacher hired last year, died May 9, according to her husband, Mark. Principal Paul Meehan called Giuliano "a colleague and friend to everyone on our staff, and a true inspiration to her math students.

More than half of South Jersey's public high schools maintained or improved their passing rates on the most recent state math test, and nearly three-fourths did so in language arts, according to an Inquirer analysis of data released Wednesday. At 44 of 60 schools in Camden, Burlington, and Gloucester Counties, 11th graders did as well or better in reading than they did last year, while juniors at 31 of 59 schools for which there were scores did better or the same in math. Results of the standardized tests, which also were administered last spring to students in grades three through eight, were released Wednesday by the state Department of Education.

More New Jersey high schoolers will get their diplomas this month than seemed likely a couple of weeks ago, but the number who fall short will rise significantly from last year, a state education official said Wednesday. In the continuing and painful saga of the state's revamped alternative graduation exam, Deputy Education Commissioner Willa Spicer estimated that about 2,200 students will need to retake the test in August. Last year at this time, the number was about 400, she said.

The June graduation of thousands of students could be at risk after most who took New Jersey's retooled alternative exit exam during the winter failed to pass, according to data obtained by the Education Law Center. In January, 10,308 students statewide took the math Alternative High School Assessment (AHSA), the test given to students who do not pass the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA). Of those students, 9,514 took all required parts of the test and only 34 percent passed, according to the law center's data.

A majority of South Jersey public and charter middle schools improved their performance on state standardized tests for math and language arts last year, according to the New Jersey report card released yesterday. Their gains mirrored a statewide trend among middle schools - a positive development that a spokeswoman for the state's Department of Education attributed to students and teachers becoming accustomed to more rigorous test scoring put in place two years ago. When more demanding standards are implemented and scores fall, "they'll usually bounce back the next year," said spokeswoman Beth Auerswald.