New NJ School Performance Reports Show Student Struggles Post-COVID

NEW JERSEY — Some New Jersey students are struggling to adjust to the classroom after two school years disrupted daily school life, new data shows.

The New Jersey Department of Education released the latest School Performance Report, which includes data from the 2021-22 school year. This data shows that chronic absenteeism is high, while disciplinary problems are popping up again at schools across the state.

Some measures of progress, including student growth, are not available for previous years because the NJ Department of Education canceled statewide assessments in 2019-20 and 2020-21 of the COVID-19 pandemic. State education officials note that some statistics are heavily influenced by the pandemic, which severely altered the school year for many.

Dr. Angelica Allen-McMillan, Acting Commissioner of Education, said communities “can engage in thoughtful conversations” about what the reports mean for their local districts.
“While this data does not fully capture the unique circumstances and efforts of each school community, these reports are one important tool that can be used to identify successes and challenges, engage in dialogue, and work collectively toward improving the education and supports provided to all students,” she said.

The report also identified 170 new schools as low-performing Title I schools needing support in the 2023-24 school year. Here are some key takeaways from the report, which can be accessed at http://www.njschooldata.org.

Absenteeism and student discipline

Chronic absenteeism, defined as students missing more than 10 percent of school days when enrolled, remains a problem in the state: 18 percent of students in New Jersey districts were chronically absent during the 2021-22 school year. Looking closer at demographics, 28 percent of economically disadvantaged students and 25.1 percent of students with disabilities are routinely not in class. Students who are unhoused had a chronic absenteeism rate of 45.7 percent last school year.

This is compared to before the pandemic, in 2018-19, when 10 percent of all students, and 16 percent of economically disadvantaged students, were chronically absent across the state.

Some discipline and behavior incidents have also increased from pre-pandemic levels as students return to classrooms, though fewer students are receiving in-school suspensions in 2021-22 than in 2018-2019. The rate of out-of-school suspensions is the same (2.7 percent) across both years.

Schools are reporting more instances of violence, as well as investigations into harassment, intimidation, and bullying incidents (HIB), than before the pandemic. However, the number of incidents reported to police decreased slightly from pre-pandemic years.

Testing and teachers

Four- and five-year graduation rates remain steady with more than 90 percent of students obtaining a state-recognized diploma according to statistics. The percentage of student dropping out of school has increased slightly, from 1 percent in 2019-20 to 1.2 percent in 2021-22.

The state did not meet its annual target for English language arts and mathematics testing. Data includes results of students taking both the New Jersey Student Learning Assessment (NJSLA) and the Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM) alternate assessment for English language arts and mathematics.

Due to the cancellation of statewide assessments in 2019-20 and 2020-21, statewide assessment results are not available for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years.

As higher education institutions have begun phasing out pre-college tests like the PSAT, SAT, and ACT, participation in NJ has declined compared to pre-pandemic years. Scores also fell below pre-pandemic levels, data shows. Enrollment in Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs has remained steady at around 35 percent, data shows.

Statewide, there is a 12:1 student-to-teacher ratio and about 54 percent of New Jersey’s teachers have a Bachelor’s or specialist’s degree. More than 77 percent of students overall are being taught by educators with fewer than four years of prior experience in their district, classified as “inexperienced teachers” in state reports.