The October 19 Board of Education meeting was filled with celebrations of student and school-wide achievements as we honored "Excellence in Education" displayed in its many forms.

Click the links to view the AGENDA and ADDENDUM for the October 19, 2017 meeting.

Revised NJDOE Science Assessments Coming Spring 2018

The New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) is in the final phase of the state-required procurement process for the new science assessments that will be administered this school year. The NJDOE expects the procurement process to be finalized in the coming weeks, at which time they will release detailed information and guidance for districts on the new science assessments. However, to assist school districts in preparation for such changes, the NJDOE has provided the following information so far:

• The science assessments will be administered in grades 5, 8 and 11. There will be no 4th grade science assessment this school year. The grade 11 high school assessment will be a comprehensive science assessment rather than an end-of-course high school biology assessment.
• The new science assessments will be computer-based tests and will feature technology-enhanced items.
• The new science assessments will be administered in spring 2018 and will be aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Science, which all school districts were required to implement by the 2017-18 school year.

As described above, once the procurement process is finalized, information and guidance about testing dates, procedures and other operational details will be released to districts. This information will be relayed to the Westwood Regional parents/guardians once it is available. In the meantime, check out the video below for an overview of the NGSS.

Statewide Assessments Annual Report

Each year, the district reports to the district board of education and the public on the performance of all students on the New Jersey standardized testing system (N.J.A.C. 6A:8-3.1). The Administrative Leadership Team presented the results for our school district at the August 24 and September 14 Board meetings. The presentation included results for: PARCC, Access for ELLs, the Dynamic Learning Maps, NJASK Science, the NJ Biology Competency Test, AP, SAT, and ACT. In reviewing the results, we found that our district schools often out performed the State average; however, in all cases, these results are considered along with many other measures to help us refine practices and implement interventions for the continuous growth of ALL students.

As always, we are proud of the efforts and performance of our students and teachers. If you have any questions about our results, don't hesitate to reach out to your school's principal.