-Jennie Lamon, NJPSA Assistant Director of Government Relations
December 4, 2024
The New Jersey State Board of Education convened its monthly meeting on the morning of Wednesday, December 4, 2024, at the Riverview Executive Plaza in Trenton. Joined by Acting Commissioner Kevin Dehmer, the State Board and the Department of Ed staff celebrated the accomplishments of education professionals across the state, including the Superintendent of the Year, School Business Administrator of the Year, and Principals of the Year.
NJPSA/FEA key leaders were also in attendance, including Executive Director Karen Bingert, Assistant Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer Denise Hecht, and FEA Director of Special Projects Mary Reece, to help celebrate the achievements of Dr. Neil Burti and Dr. Lindsay Gooditis.
Student Representative Highlights Cell Phone and Social Media Challenges
Anna Paszkiewicz, the State Board of Education Permanent Student Representative from Palmyra High School, presented her monthly report to the Board. This month, her focus was on the growing impact of cell phone and social media use during school hours—a topic of increasing concern among educators and students alike.
Spring 2024 Assessment Results Show Modest Progress Amid Persistent Post COVID Challenges
The NJDOE Office of Assessment and the Division of Teaching and Learning Services delivered an overview of the Spring 2024 Assessment Results. The results encompassed data from the New Jersey Student Learning Assessment (NJSLA), New Jersey Graduation Proficiency Assessment (NJGPA), ACCESS for ELLs, and Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM).
Director of Assessment John Boczany reported modest improvements across all subjects and grade levels, signaling ongoing recovery in proficiency rates post-COVID-19. English language arts and math showed measurable gains, while science performance held steady. However, significant achievement gaps persist among student groups, including Black and Hispanic students, multilingual learners, students with disabilities, and economically disadvantaged students. Encouragingly, these gaps are beginning to narrow slightly.
To address these challenges, the Department has implemented several initiatives:
- High-Impact Tutoring Grants and programs like RAPID and RAPID+ aim to provide targeted academic support to students.
- The OpenSciEd Project offers districts high-quality science materials and professional development aligned with the New Jersey Student Learning Standards (NJSLS).
- A new Office of Learning Equity and Academic Recovery will launch early next year to focus on closing achievement gaps and supporting academic recovery statewide.
- A forthcoming “What Works Clearinghouse,” modeled after a federal initiative, will identify evidence-based strategies to improve educational outcomes in New Jersey schools.
Assessment reports for the 2023-24 school year, including performance data for all schools and districts, are available here.
Proposed Amendments School District Operations
The Board also considered, at first discussion, proposed amendments to N.J.A.C. 6A:32, School District Operations. A summary of the proposed amendments and the rule text of the proposed amendments explain proposed changes to definitions, and to align the chapter with P.L. 2023, c. 274, which allows a public school student in grades six through 12 to have one State-excused absence each school year for the purpose of attending a civic event.
Opportunity for Public Testimony
The State Board of Education will next receive open public testimony on January 8th. Under a recent change in the State Board’s public testimony procedures, public testimony sessions now begin 30 minutes after the conclusion of the public business meeting.
Further information on the NJ State Board of Education may be found here.