BY JANE MEGGITT
Staff Writer

UPPER FREEHOLD - The school district will undergo some changes due to declining test scores, according to Curriculum Director Maybeth Conway.

Earlier this month, Conway presented an overview to the Board of Education of the Upper Freehold Regional School District's "current efforts" and "future direction."

The 2004-05 New Jersey School Report Card, which the New Jersey Department of Education mandates for every school in the state, showed that the district had declining test scores in some sections of state skills tests.

At Allentown High School, High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA) scores dropped in the proficient category for language arts from 79 percent in 2003-04 to 69 percent in 2004-05. Students take the HSPA during their junior year, Conway said.

According to Conway, the scores still factored above the 65 percent district factor group (DFG) average last year. The DFG takes into account the socioeconomic elements of a school community to compare it to other similar districts, she said.

At the high school, HSPA test scores dropped in the proficient category for mathematics from almost 60 percent in the 2003-04 school year to almost 48 percent last year, according to Conway. The DFG proficient score in mathematics was 48.6 percent last year, she said.

During the same time frame, 12 percent more AHS students scored in the advanced/proficient performance category last year, Conway said.

In response to the decline in the language arts scores, Conway said teachers in the district's elementary and middle schools have undergone training to develop, administer and evaluate student writing samples with picture prompts using the New Jersey scoring rubrics.

She said the district has also realigned its writing curriculum in grades five to eight to place greater emphasis on the most challenging writing standards. In the primary grades, according to Conway, teachers have also expanded their use of running records to assess reading levels more accurately and to identify specific skill deficits.

In an effort to respond to the decline in math scores, Conway said, the district has mapped and realigned its math curriculum in kindergarten to fourth grade to provide greater depth and breadth of coverage and understanding. She said all teachers would place greater emphasis on key testing terminology, open-ended math questions and math scoring rubrics.

Through various professional development experiences, Conway said, all teachers have learned to increase their emphasis on differentiated instruction.

At the high school level, according to Conway, AHS has added new Advanced Placement (AP) classes to its course offerings and has also initiated sustained silent reading (SSR) in all its classes, according to Conway.

Conway said AHS teachers would continue to focus on critical reading skills and place greater emphasis on the SAT vocabulary list.

All AHS teachers have also undergone training to incorporate one or more controlled writing assignments into their classes, she said. Teachers would score the assignments using the HSPA or SAT rubrics, according to Conway.

Conway said AHS has realigned and compacted its math course sequencing to strengthen student preparation for HSPA and SAT testing. She said the math department has also made curriculum adjustments in all classes to incorporate more open-ended questions and written responses.

In addition, AHS has proposed to offer an elective SAT preparation class, she said.

As for performance enhancement and learning possibilities in the future, Conway said there would be closer alignment among state standards, curriculum, instruction and assessment.

In addition, she said there would be systematic training and emphasis on research-based best instructional practice, as well as on organizational and study skills. She said this would include consistent, close examination of student work in conjunction with state standards.

According to Conway, there would be a careful review of honors course curricula in the high school and the Gifted and Talented Program at all grade levels.

Conway said the district would continue to emphasize differentiated instruction and focused, sustained professional development initiatives as well. She said the district would also have higher expectations for its teachers, supervisors, administrators, students, parents and other staff members.

For subject area supervisors in grades K-12, Conway said, there would be ongoing administrator/supervisor training with focus on student achievement and instructional improvement, and job-imbedded professional development opportunities.

The district would create a professional development specialist position and additional financial resources for major focused initiatives, according to Conway.

For more information on the New Jersey School Report Card, visit the New Jersey Department of Education Web site at www.state.nj.us/education.