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NJ State Testing:�Spring 2025 Administrations

�Cresskill Schools�November 10, 2025

Support in Identifying Student Needs

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Competencies (5 Cs) & Core Skills Must Coexist

Statewide Assessment is not the exclusive criteria by which we measure growth or success. It’s just as important to build students’ capacities with collaboration, communication, critical thinking, creative problem-solving, and citizenship/community.

Most Likely To Succeed

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“What the Tests Don’t Assess

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NJSLA Assessment Overview

NJSLA:

This is a statewide test administered in New Jersey to students in elementary, middle, and high school. Subjects tested include English Language Arts (ELA), Mathematics and Science. Grades 3-9 sit for ELA and Mathematics tests, while grades 5, 8 & 11 sit for the Science test.
Aim of test is to measure progress of students in meeting NJSLS standards.

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Worthy of Note!

Our students outperformed students across the state in the three tested areas

40% of 8th grade students took ADVANCED math tests (Alg I, II, Geo)

27% of 7th grade students took ADVANCED math tests (Alg, Alg II)

Elementary literacy and high school math achievement are district highlights

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SECTION ONE -

NJSLA

DISTRICT

ANALYSIS

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Cresskill’s NJSLA Participation Rate�Number of Students Tested �“Participation Rate” represents Valid Test Scores divided by Number of Eligible Test Takers.

English Language Arts	Valid Test Scores	Participation Rate	Math	Valid Test Scores	Participation Rate	Science	Valid Test Scores	Participation Rate
ELA03	137	98%	MAT03	142	98%
ELA04	131	100%	MAT04	137	100%
ELA05	152	100%	MAT05	156	100%	SC05	156	100%
ELA06	127	98%	MAT06	133	98%
ELA07	141	99%	MAT07	108	98%
ELA08	131	99%	MAT08	80	98%	SC08	135	99%
ELA09	116	100%	Algebra I (MS)	66	100%
			Algebra I (HS)	69	99%
			Geo (MS)	11	100%
			Geo (HS)	103	99%
			Algebra II (MS)	31	100%	SC11	135	100%
			Algebra II (HS)	33	100%
Total		99%	Total		99%	Total		100%

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NJSLA Descriptors for ELA and Math

The NJSLA provided information about the performance levels of

the students in ELA and Math.

Performance Level	Descriptor
Level 1	Did Not Yet Meet Expectations
Level 2	Partially Met Expectations
Level 3	Approached Expectations
Level 4	Met Expectations
Level 5	Exceeded Expectations

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Cresskill’s ELA Grades 3-5

Grade-Level Performance Compared to

State Average Performance

ELA03	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4	Level 5
STATE	19%	16%	20%	37%	8%
DISTRICT	5%	8%	15%	51%	20%
ELA04	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4	Level 5
STATE	14%	13%	20%	38%	16%
DISTRICT	6%	6%	8%	44%	36%
ELA05	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4	Level 5
STATE	13%	13%	21%	41%	11%
DISTRICT	5%	5%	11%	47%	33%

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Cresskill’s ELA Grades 6-9

Grade-Level Performance Compared to

State Average Performance

ELA06	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4	Level 5
STATE	11%	13%	21%	41%	15%
DISTRICT	2%	6%	15%	57%	24%
ELA07	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4	Level 5
STATE	12%	11%	20%	32%	25%
DISTRICT	9%	5%	11%	36%	39%
ELA08	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4	Level 5
STATE	13%	12%	18%	36%	21%
DISTRICT	3%	9%	18%	42%	28%
ELA09	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4	Level 5
STATE	17%	14%	19%	35%	15%
DISTRICT	5%	15%	27%	35%	19%

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Percentage of Students Who Met or

Exceeded Expectations - ELA

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Notable Achievements

English/Language Arts (ELA)

Grades 3-9 the majority (74%) of our students met or exceeded expectations compared to all the other levels of performance (Blue).

Grades 3-9 12% of our students partially met or did not yet meet expectations compared to all the other levels of performance (Green).

Notable Achievements

English/Language Arts (ELA)

*99% of eligible test takers took the NJSLA ELA

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Cresskill’s ELA Grade 3-9 Trend Analysis

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Cresskill’s Math Grades 3-5

Grade-Level Performance Compared to

State Average Performance

MAT03	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4	Level 5
STATE	10%	16%	24%	37%	13%
DISTRICT	1%	4%	12%	51%	32%
MAT04	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4	Level 5
STATE	9%	19%	25%	39%	8%
DISTRICT	3%	4%	11%	56%	26%
MAT05	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4	Level 5
STATE	11%	19%	26%	34%	10%
DISTRICT	3%	7%	13%	47%	30%

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Cresskill’s Math Grades 6-8

Grade-Level Performance Compared to

State Average Performance

MAT06	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4	Level 5
STATE	11%	23%	26%	31%	9%
DISTRICT	2%	11%	16%	48%	23%
MAT07	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4	Level 5
STATE	10%	21%	31%	32%	7%
DISTRICT	6%	11%	29%	52%	3%
MAT08	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4	Level 5
STATE	30%	27%	23%	20%	1%
DISTRICT	13%	18%	28%	43%	0%

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A Deeper Dive into 8th Grade

GRADE 8	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4	Level 5

ALG I (N = 27)	4%	7%	89%
ALG II (N=16)	13%	6%	81%
GEO (N=11)	0%	9%	90%

MATH 08 (N = 80)	30%		28%	43%

TOTAL 08 (N = 134)	21%		22%	57%

Cresskill’s long tradition of offering middle school students the opportunity to take high school level math courses opens doors of opportunity for young learners; however, doing so impacts the overall scores for the grade level test, which the most advanced students do not take.

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A Deeper Dive into 7th Grade

GRADE 7	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4	Level 5

ALG I (N = 25)	0%		8%	92%
ALG II (N=15)	0%		7%	93%

MATH 07 (N = 108)	17%		29%	55%

TOTAL 07 (N = 148)	12%		23%	65%

Cresskill’s long tradition of offering middle school students the opportunity to take high school level math courses opens doors of opportunity for young learners; however, doing so impacts the overall scores for the grade level test, which the most advanced students do not take.

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Cresskill’s Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry

Grade-Level Performance Compared to

State Average Performance

Algebra I	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4	Level 5
STATE	13%	26%	23%	31%	7%
DISTRICT (MS)	0%	2%	8%	71%	20%
DISTRICT (HS)	10%	30%	38%	22%	0%
Algebra II	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4	Level 5
STATE	10%	7%	11%	50%	23%
DISTRICT (MS)	0%	6%	6%	77%	10%
DISTRICT (HS)	0%	6%	24%	67%	3%
Geometry	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4	Level 5
STATE	4%	12%	28%	44%	12%
DISTRICT (MS)	0%	0%	9%	45%	45%
DISTRICT (HS)	2%	16%	32%	33%	17%

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Percentage of Students Who Met or

Exceeded Expectations - Math

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Notable Achievements

Mathematics

Grades 3-8, Alg I/II, and Geometry the majority (68%) of our students met or exceeded expectations compared to all the other levels of performance (Blue).

Grades 3-8, Alg I/II, and Geometry 14% of our students partially met or did not yet meet expectations compared to all the other levels of performance (Green).

*99% of eligible test takers took the NJSLA Math.

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Cresskill’s Math Grade 3-8, Alg I, Geom, Alg II Trend Analysis

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NJSLA Descriptors for Science

The NJSLA provided information about the student level of understanding of the New Jersey Student Learning Standards - Science.

Performance Level	Descriptor
Level 1	Minimal Understanding
Level 2	Limited Grade-level Understanding
Level 3	Appropriate Grade-level Understanding
Level 4	Advanced Understanding

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Cresskill’s Science Grades 5, 8, 11

Grade-Level Performance Compared to

State Average Performance

Science 5	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
STATE	31%	39%	22%	8%
DISTRICT	10%	24%	42%	24%
Science 8	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
STATE	34%	47%	14%	5%
DISTRICT	22%	44%	28%	7%
Science 11	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
STATE	41%	28%	21%	10%
DISTRICT	22%	30%	30%	19%

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Percentage of Students Who Met or

Exceeded Expectations - Science

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Cresskill’s Science Grades 5,8,11 Trend Analysis

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SECTION TWO -

DEMOGRAPHIC

ANALYSIS

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Cresskill’s�Subgroup�NJSLA Spring 2024 Administrations

Subgroup	ELA ≥ Level 4 Met or Exceeded Expectations	Math ≥ Level 4 Met or Exceeded Expectations	Science ≥ Level 3 Appropriate Grade-Level or Advanced Understanding
District	74%	68%	50%
FEMALE	79%	65%	24%
MALE	68%	69%	27%
IEP	28%	28%	3%
504	63%	58%	3%
ELL Learner	30%	52%	4%
WHITE	66%	60%	24%
ASIAN	87%	88%	22%
HISPANIC	66%	49%	–
BLACK	32%	27%	–
TWO or MORE RACES	88%	65%	–
ECONOMIC DISADVANTAGE	50%	33%	–

*Subgroups that have fewer than 10 students in all categories are not reported: American Indian or Alaska Native; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; Migrant; Black (Science only); Two or More Races (Science only); Economic Disadvantage (Science only)

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SECTION THREE-

Interventions & Future Implications

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Interventions & Future Implications

ELA

Updating scope and sequence of writing units to incorporate more critical thinking and collaboration
Staff changes by grade-level to honor teacher strengths in the effort to optimize student performance
Implemented evidence-based literacy intervention programs (Orton Gillingham instruction, LLI, Fundations, Literacy Footprints) to target specific reading and writing difficulties
Implemented ongoing K-5 assessments to track individual progress, identify areas of improvement, and adjust interventions accordingly, such as a Universal Screener K through 6 - designed to identify reading deficits by way of multiple assessments and monitor progress
Extended day program for students “at-risk” in grades 6-12
Created topic-based PD opportunities for staff and Teacher PLCs
Continued work w/ MS Literacy Consultant to streamline ELA cohesion
Integrated Instructional Tech tools (ipads) to improve whole class/small group instruction
Sheltered English Instruction (SEI) training for all staff to assist multilingual learners with language acquisition, listening, speaking, reading and writing
Embed content area practices in units and lessons as students advance through the grades and demonstrate proficiency in the standards with increasing fullness and regularity in ELA capacities

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Interventions & Future Implications

Implemented ongoing K-5 assessments to track individual progress, identify areas of improvement, and adjust interventions accordingly, such as a Universal Screener K through 6 - designed to identify deficits by way of multiple assessments and monitor progress
Reviewed district resources, such as Measuring Up Live, to provide support for struggling math learners
Extended day program for students “at-risk” in grades 6-12
Offered PD sessions for teachers on effective strategies for struggling students in math
K-5/MS/HS staff have been connecting Conquer Math workshops to 21st Century core competencies
Revised curriculum to align pacing and focus on heavily tested NJSLA standards
Teacher PLCs
Integrated Instructional Tech tools (ipads) to improve whole class/small group instruction
Sheltered English Instruction (SEI) training for all staff to assist multilingual learners with language acquisition during math periods
Embed content area practices in units and lessons as students advance through the grades and demonstrate proficiency in the standards with increasing fullness and regularity in Math capacities

MATH

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Interventions & Future Implications

Implementing Mystery Science in K-5 to increase hands-on activities for students and embed exposure to NJSLA-related tasks
Continued the use of VR headsets in high school science classes to assist students with applying real world knowledge to complex concepts about the human body and the environment
Increased the frequency of and modified lab based lessons for each of the 3 main content areas of Life Science, Earth and Space Science, and Physical Science
Implemented accommodations and modifications for students with varying needs into general education science classrooms
Emphasized hands-on exploration and critical thinking
Sheltered English Instruction (SEI) training for all staff to assist multilingual learners with language acquisition in Science periods
Staff changes by grade-level to honor teacher strengths in the effort to optimize student performance
Shifting special education science classes to content-certified teachers to ensure deeper content expertise while maintaining inclusive supports through collaboration and differentiated instruction.
Embed content area practices in units and lessons as students advance through the grades and demonstrate proficiency in the standards with increasing fullness and regularity in Sci capacities

SCIENCE