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South Orange-Maplewood School District

A District That Celebrates

You are here: Home / District Departments / Assessments / News, Updates & Assessment Information

News, Updates & Assessment Information

Each year, District students participate in a number of assessments that are either mandated by the New Jersey Department of Education or are administered by the District to assist us in determining individual student educational levels. Each of these assessments also assists us in developing instructional practices that meet the needs of our students based on the data collected. Furthermore, these assessments assist us in revising our curricula to be certain we are providing our students with the best possible programming.

2022 - 23 SY Assessment ● Report Cards ● Progress Reports ● Marking Periods ● Elementary Conference Dates

News & Updates

  • District Fall 2021 Start Strong Data Presentation/Overview (2/24/22)
  • 2021-22 SY Student Assessment Information for Families (9/24/21)
  • List of District Assessments (3/29/19)

Assessments

New Jersey Start Strong Assessments Expand
These statewide assessments, which are aligned to a small set of standards from last year, will help educators understand the level of support that students need to be successful this year. The NJ Start Strong Assessment window usually takes place from mid-September to late-October.   They are based on a subset of prioritized prior-year academic standards, available in ELA grades 4-10, math grades 4-8, Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II, and in science grades 6, 9, and 12. The results will complement our classroom measures to guide instruction for all students. Additional information and specific schedules for the NJ Start Strong Assessments will be sent home by your child’s school as we near the administration.
https://nj.mypearsonsupport.com/resources/educatorresources/startStrong/Fall%202021%20Administration%20Information%20for%20Parents.pdf  
New Jersey Student Learning Assessments Expand

Students participate in the statewide NJSLA, which provides the District with rich information that helps to strengthen its educational programming in ELA and Math. The NJSLA window will take place from April - June. Additional information and specific schedules for the yearly NJSLA will be sent home by your child’s principal as we near the administration.  Additionally, some of our students will participate in standardized assessments in science as mandated by the NJDOE. Students in grades 5, 8, and 11 will participate in the NJSLA Science assessments during the NJSLA window as well.  For more information visit:  https://nj.mypearsonsupport.com/ForParent/

Teaching Strategies GOLD Assessment System (GOLD) Expand

District Pre-K students will participate in Gold Assessments. This is a formative assessment system that has been designed and extensively validated for use with young children ages birth to kindergarten. Families will meet with their classroom teachers and be provided with an assessment report three times a year (fall, winter, and spring).

STAR Renaissance Assessments Expand

Students in grades K-11 will participate in STAR assessments We introduced this assessment as a means to improve our ability to determine your child’s  instructional level, as well as allow the classroom teacher to measure academic growth throughout the school year, and from year to year, in the areas of Math and Reading. Your child will participate in the STAR assessment 3-4 times during the school year so that we can measure progress made during the year, creating a longitudinal picture of your child’s educational growth. More information regarding the STAR testing may be found at: https://www.renaissance.com/2016/09/09/parents-guide-star-assessments/

Advanced Placement Exams Expand

Students at Columbia High School who participate in any of our Advanced Placement courses will also participate in the AP testing. This assessment window usually takes place from in May, for the following courses: https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/exam-calendar

Individual student grade reports will be sent to your homes directly from the College Board. Information about Advanced Placement tests can be found at:  https://apstudent.collegeboard.org/exploreap/for-parents

Teachers College Reading Assessment Expand

Students in grades K-8 are given this assessment 2-3 times a year based on their benchmark scores. Students work one-to-one with a teacher to assess their fluency, accuracy, and literal/interpretive comprehension of a text. This information is used to support the student as a reader.

Early Reading Assessment Expand

Students in grades K-2 are given this assessment to determine readiness in literacy, math, and small motor skills to understand a student's needs better.

Language Assessment Expand

Students in grades K-2 are given a phonics assessment, 3-5 a spelling assessment, 6-8 a vocabulary assessment, 9-12 a grammar assessment - this information is used to support the student as a language learner.

PAR Assessment Expand

The Predictive Assessment of Reading (PAR) screening given twice a year in 1st grade (new students to the district in 2nd grade) provides the classroom teacher and building administrators with information that can inform instruction and indicate students at risk for various reading difficulties. In addition, the assessment highlights areas that might become obstacles in a student's current and future reading proficiencies.

Writing Assessment Expand

Students in grades K-12 are assessed twice a year to determine grade level proficiency for writing skills in narrative and non-narrative genres of writing. This information is used to support the students as a writer.

ACCESS Assessment (for ESL Students) Expand

All students, K-12, who attend English as a Second Language (ESL) classes or were found eligible for ESL, but declined services will participate in ACCESS for ELLs testing during the assessment window from February 14, 2022 - April 8, 2022. ACCESS for ELLs is given annually to monitor students’ progress in learning academic English, which is a U.S. federal requirement of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Students are assessed in the four language domains of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. More information about ACCESS for ELLs testing may be accessed at:  https://wida.wisc.edu/assess/access

South Orange-Maplewood School District

South Orange-Maplewood School District

Address & Contact Info

525 Academy Street
Maplewood, NJ 07040

Main Office: (973) 762-5600

District Title IX Information

Dr. Kevin Gilbert
Asst., Supt., Access & Equity
District Title IX Coordinator
525 Academy Street
Maplewood, NJ 07040
e: kgilbert@somsd.k12.nj.us
p: (973) 762 - 5600 ext. 1859

Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying (HIB)

Dr. Kevin Gilbert
Asst., Supt., Access & Equity
District HIB Coordinator
e: kgilbert@somsd.k12.nj.us
p: (973) 762 - 5600 ext. 1859

Ms. Robin Curry
Confidential Secretary to the Asst. Supt., Access & Equity
e: rcurry@somsd.k12.nj.us
p: (973) 762 - 5600 ext. 1822

More HIB Information

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The South Orange & Maplewood School District is committed to making our content accessible to all members of the public, including those with disabilities. This includes parents, students, employees, and all others associated with our district. If you need assistance in accessing materials on the district website or you would like to provide feedback or file a complaint about the website, please email the webmaster.

Our Mission

The mission of the South Orange Maplewood School District is to empower and inspire each student to explore and imagine, to pursue personal passions, and to collectively create a better future by creating a learner-centered environment through multiple pathways; re-imagined structures, systems and supports; innovative teaching; partnering with families; and maximizing community expertise and resources.

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