TRENTON — The "achievement gap" between rich and poor students, and among those of different races, persists in New Jersey schools, according to statewide test score data released Wednesday by the state Board of Education.

The "achievement gap" has long been an issue facing educators in New Jersey and elsewhere. Today, the state released results of tests taken last spring, showing as much as a 38.4-point difference in the passing rate in third-grade language arts, between African-American and Asian students.

On that test, about 60 percent of black or African-American third-graders failed to achieve proficient scores, compared to 21.4 percent for Asian students and 31 percent for whites.

A student’s economic circumstances matter, too. On the same third-grade test, only 40.2 percent of economically disadvantaged children were considered proficient, compared to 70.5 percent of their more well-off classmates.

The results released Wednesday came from the annual New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge test, in grades 3-8, and the High School Proficiency Assessment test for 11th graders. Tests were given last spring in language arts and math to about 100,000 students in each grade. Third-, fourth-graders and high school students were also tested in science.

The tests are aligned with the state’s core curriculum standards, and are intended to provide a snapshot of how well students are learning. Wednesday's results showed student performance overall slipped slightly in language arts from the previous year, but rose slightly in math. Also highlighted, however, was the disparity in student performance according to their race and income level.

The data shows the achievement gap narrows somewhat by 11th grade. But the overall results were stark enough that Acting Commissioner Rochelle Hendricks said they point to a "crisis," and said more attention must be paid to "strategies and programs that close the achievement gap."

PREVIOUS COVERAGE:



• Look up your school's grades

• N.J. standardized test scores show achievement gap remains significant

• N.J. Board of Education releases state standardized testing data

• N.J. is among coalition of states awarded Race to the Top funds to assess standardized tests

• N.J. schools narrowing achievement gap for minority, low-income students, study says

Board President Arcelio Aponte said he was "really, really troubled" by the information. He said the board had been optimistic that efforts to help struggling districts, such as providing preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds, would have helped more.

"We have been optimistic about progress being made," he said. "I expect we would see some changes. This sort of throws that theory out the window."

Looking at the state’s students as a whole, the scores showed a downward trend in the passing rate in language arts across the younger grades, between 2009 and 2010, along with a .5 percent increase in passing for eighth-graders, and a 3.5 percent increase for 11th-graders.

In math, students overall recorded a slight increase between 2009 and 2010 — except for seventh- and eighth-graders, who registered a drop of 2 and 2.7 percent, respectively. That may be due to new testing requirements that limit students’ use of calculators in those grades on some sections of the test, officials said.

The overall downward results caused concern, too. "If this were the stock market selling and buying..." said Board Member Ilan Plawker. "It’s a definite downward trend for 09-10. It’s good we have an early warning system. We have to dig a little deeper to find out why."

Bruce Baker, an associate professor at the Rutgers University Graduate School of Education, said standardized test scores provide "annual proficiency snapshots," but that "extreme caution is needed in any interpretations of them."

"I think it’s important that we consider test scores in terms of what they are supposed to mean, and what they are meant to be used for. The current testing data in New Jersey are of limited value for estimating school effectiveness, no less teacher effectiveness," he said.

Regarding the achievement gap, Baker cited National Assessment of Educational Progress scores in grade 4 reading and grade 8 math. He said over the long run, New Jersey has seen reductions in gaps between black and white, and between poor and non-poor students. He said New Jersey’s achievement gaps tend to be smaller than those in some other comparable states, such as Connecticut.

"Gaps are driven as much by the height of the highs as they are by the depth of the lows," Baker said. "States with smaller black-white gaps, for example, tend to be those with the lowest-scoring and/or poorest white student population. New Jersey and Connecticut each have very affluent white populations concentrated in very high-performing, highly-segregated white school districts."

Joseph DePierro, dean of the College of Education and Human Services at Seton Hall University, called the achievement gap findings "no surprise," and "a phenomenon that’s been around for decades, although the particular ethnic groups may vary."

The disparity is something that has been targeted by Gov. Chris Christie’s nominee for education commissioner, Christopher Cerf, who called for the need to close the "shameful" achievement gap.

"There are certain communities in this state where we should all be ashamed about the gap between children who are rich and poor and black and white," he said in December.

Cerf was not at Wednesday's meeting, but he was appointed assistant commissioner, which an Education Department spokesman said was necessary before he could be appointed acting commissioner. In coming weeks, Cerf is expected to be appointed acting commissioner, prior to confirmation by the Senate.

Among New Jersey’s individual school districts, some had cause for much pride in their test results. University Heights Charter School, a Newark school that educates 224 children in grades K-4, saw double-digit gains in all areas, for their third- and fourth-graders.

"We’re not at the proficiency rates we want to be at, but we’re on our way there," said executive director Misha Simmonds.



Online Database by Caspio

Click here

to load this Caspio

Online Database

.