2013-2014
Princeton Public Schools
State School Performance Report
Interpretive Guide
*
*Based upon 2012-2013 data.
What are School Performance Reports?
 The reports take the place of the former School
Report Cards, which were introduced in 1995 to
provide a snapshot of student academic
achievement and other important information
about a school’s environment, per-pupil costs, and
attendance.
What’s new about the report?
Key features of the new report include:
 Measuring college and career readiness as well as
looking at how students fare once they graduate
from high school.
 Emphasizing growth by tracking both individual
student progress from grade to grade and schoolwide achievement in meeting target goals.
 Comparing peer schools from across the state with
similar profiles.
The measures…
Level
Academic Performance is based on:
Elementary NJASK
College and career
readiness is based
on:
Student Growth is
based on:
Attendance
NJASK
Administered grades 3-5
Middle
NJASK
Administered grades 6-8
Attendance and # enrolled
in Algebra I in 8th grade
NJASK
High
HSPA
Administered in grade 11
Participation in SAT, ACT,
or PSAT, and AP
enrollment in English,
math, social studies, and
science
Rate at which students
graduate on time, and
dropout rate
The comparison…
Schools are ranked state-wide and in relation to
peer schools
What are Peer Schools?
Schools are clustered in groups of 30 based on:




Grade configurations
Percent of students eligible for free and reduced lunch
Percent of students that are limited English proficient
Percent of students that are in Special Education
Under this new system, schools are clustered according to more
precise demographic information, unlike under the former
system, the District Factor Group (DFG), which was based
primarily on average income in the community.
How does PHS measure up?
 At the state-wide level, PHS scored either high or very high
in all three categories—academic achievement, college &
career readiness and graduation rate and post-secondary
readiness.
 At the peer group level PHS scored high for graduation rate
& post-secondary readiness.
Based upon measures of the school's proficiency rate on both the Language Arts
Literacy and Math sections of the HSPA.
 PHS scored high statewide.
 In comparison to its peer group, PHS scored very high.
Language Arts =
96% proficient
(of which 62% were
advanced proficient)
Math =
96% proficient
(of which 66% were
advanced proficient)
 Determined by:
 AP participation and scores in:
English, Math, Social Studies, and Science.
 SAT or PSAT results.
The AP course list
from the state is
limited to these 4
subject areas.
Although all AP courses offered at PHS
(18 AP courses total!) are listed on the
report card, not all of these courses are
considered when the state determines
College & Career Readiness.
 Graduation measures the rate at which students who
begin high school four years earlier graduate within four
years. PHS Graduation Rate = 94.8%
That’s nearly 28% higher than the statewide average
and nearly 20% higher than the statewide target!
 Post-Secondary is based upon the number of graduates
who attend an institute for higher education.
Some PHS graduates attend post-secondary institutions abroad
However, the state only considers graduates attending American institutions and
does not take into account students who attend colleges outside of the U.S.
 Also included is a measure of the rate at which
students drop out of school.
PHS Dropout Rate = 0.1%
PHS Improvement Over Time
HSPA Math:
Advanced Proficient remained 66%
Partially Proficient decreased by 4%
(from 8% in 2011-2012 to 4% in 2012-2013)
HSPA LAL:
Advanced Proficient increased by 8%
(from 54% in 2011-2012 to 62% in 2012-2013)
Partially Proficient decreased by 1%
(from 4% in 2011-2012 to 3% in 2012-2013)
Participation in PSAT, ACT, and SAT increased
School-wide graduation rate has increased
How does JWMS measure up?
 At the state-wide level, JW scored either high or
very high in all three categories—academic
achievement, college & career readiness and
graduation rate and post-secondary readiness.
 At the peer group level, JW scored very high in
student growth performance.
JWMS Performance Over Time
100%
of 8th Graders took Algebra I
91%
earned a C or higher
NJASK Math:
Advanced Proficient = 70% (a 6% increase)
Partially Proficient = 7% (a 3% decrease)
NJASK LAL:
Advanced Proficient = 44% (a 4% increase)
Partially Proficient = 6% (a 4% decrease)
How do Elementary Schools Measure Up?
At the elementary school level, the single determining
factor of whether or not a child is on track for “College &
Career Readiness” is attendance.
 There are many reasons why this single factor does not accurately
indicate how well prepared a given student is for college and career.
One that is especially true for the diverse body of students in
Princeton Public Schools is that many of the student body miss
school days for international travel.
“no single assessment can tell educators all they need to know to make well-informed
instructional decisions” –US Department of Education, Using Student Achievement Data
to Support Instructional Decision Making, 2009
What’s next?
 Beginning School Year 2014-2015, PARCC will replace
NJASK* and HSPA
 As a result of this change in state testing, current (and
past) performance data may not prove helpful in
determining district success
 We look forward to providing you with an analysis of
our PARCC data when the results are in.
* With one exception: Students will still take the science portion of the NJASK.
What matters most?
 Higher order skills
• Curiosity, creativity, critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration across cultures
NOTE: These are much more difficult to measure than standard skills (e.g., reading
comprehension, information recall)
 Health and wellness of students and faculty
•
•
•
•
•
High-quality nutrition
Fitness
Perseverance in the face of challenge
Compassion for others
Balance
 PPS is currently exploring these questions related to physical and
emotional health:
• What is the current state of the health and wellness of the students and faculty?
• What can we do to shore up existing wellness efforts?
• What new wellness programs should we offer?