NJGPA Presentation

In English Language Arts, readiness was 95.5% in 2023 , dropped to 87.3% in 2024 , then recovered to 93.8% in 2025.

Math took the bigger hit, falling from 82.0% in 2023 to 72.3% in 2024 , with more than one in four juniors flagged as not on track. By 2025, math came back hard to 86.5% , the strongest year-to-year gain across subjects.

Subgroup Performance (2025)

Girls consistently outperformed boys, but both groups made gains in 2025. Hispanic students showed a significant math rebound, while students with disabilities continue to trail significantly, particularly in math.

Policy Changes

Let’s start with the good.

One of the biggest wins is on cost control. Legal and professional service contracts — the kinds of bills that can quietly balloon without anyone noticing — now have stricter caps, must be competitively bid, and require formal Board action if the limits are exceeded. That’s taxpayer protection baked right into policy.

Transparency also gets a boost. A new rule requires the district to announce job promotions and transfer opportunities openly, instead of letting them slip through quietly. Postings will have to include pay ranges and benefits, a change that levels the playing field for staff who want a fair shot at moving up.

Parents gain some ground, too. Families with twins or triplets can now request same or separate classroom placements.

Clubs and activities will have clearer structures. Advisors must keep attendance, handle funds responsibly, and evaluate programming. This helps keep “ghost clubs” off the books and ensure student groups are legitimate.

Now The Concerning

Start with legal services. While the new rules expand oversight of billing, they also expand the number of people authorized to call the lawyer. More authorized callers could mean more billable hours, not fewer.

The electronics policy might backfire. Students would need parental consent to be recorded by another student, even with teacher approval. That could make sense in theory, but in practice it could discourage kids from documenting bullying, harassment, or safety issues when they need proof. Confiscating devices could also escalate conflicts, especially with older students.

Surveillance is another concern. Giving police live-stream access to school cameras during emergencies sounds like a safety upgrade — and in some ways, it is. But it also opens the door to questions about privacy and how much control the district will really have once the feed is turned on.

Summary

As a non-commercial and ad-free, free platform, we rely on you to help us grow. If you value independent coverage of local government, please consider helping us out.

Read All Articles on BOE Agendas and Meetings

Subscribe to NJ21st For Free

Our Commitment to Ethical Journalism