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Schools

Central Regional NJ Ask Math Test Scores Show Big Jump In Eighth Grade

Superintendent credits block studying in seventh grade

NJ Ask math test scores increased significantly in eighth grade at Central Regional Middle School, a jump administrators attribute to an intensive 'block' of math added to the curriculum.

In addition to the block classes, the district has included such programs as after school tutoring and a Study Island diagnostic exam, Superintendent of Schools Triantafillos Parlapanides said.

"Every seventh-grader gets 92 minutes of math," he said.

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Math test scores rose by over 15 percent compared to schools throughout the state with the same district factor group (DFG) or socioeconomic group.

"That's where we want to go. It's a tremendous jump," said Parlapanides. "The block had something to do with these scores."

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Test results also placed Central Regional Middle School students above the state average as compared with other districts in the same DFG.

Students scored almost nine points above the state average as opposed to seventh-grade results that showed scores below the state average for the same DFG.

The DFGs were first developed in 1975 for the purpose of comparing students’ performance on statewide assessments across demographically similar school districts, according to the state Department of Education website. The categories are updated every ten years when the census bureau releases its latest data.

The classification system provides a tool for examining student achievement and comparing similar school districts. The DFGs do not have a primary or significant influence in the school funding formula beyond the legal requirements associated with parity aid provided to the Abbott districts, according to the web site.

The same 92-minute block is added to the language arts curriculum in eighth grade in preparation for the next level of state testing.

Seventh-grade provides the district with a challenge, since incoming students come from four different school districts. Central Regional accepts students from Berkeley Township, Ocean Gate, Seaside Heights, Seaside Park and Island Heights.

"It's hard because kids are coming from different districts," Parlapanides said. "We've got to work together. We need more articulation with our sending districts."

The math test results are as follows:

NJ Ask 8th-grade math

  • Central - 77.8 percent passed
  • DFG - 62.7 percent passed
  • State - 71.5 percent passed

NJ Ask 7th-grade math:

  • Central - 62.2 percent passed
  • DFG - 53 percent passed
  • State - 65.7 percent passed
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