It’s one thing when Weehawken Superintendent of Schools Kevin McLellan receives good standardized test scores involving the students of the district. It’s another thing altogether when the scores represent the best totals in all of Hudson County – and among the top scores in all of New Jersey.
McLellan received word last week that Weehawken’s fourth graders who took the Elementary School Proficiency Assessment (ESPA) tests last May received the best scores in the county in language arts, math and overall.
The students scored an average of 98.5 in language arts, which was 12 points higher than the state average of 86.3, and earned an average of 88.0 in math, which was 14 points better than the state medium of 74.2.
More importantly, the scores placed the Weehawken fourth graders as the best in Hudson County, with the fourth graders of Secaucus finishing second and Hoboken placing third.
The state-mandated tests also proved that 88.1 percent of Weehawken’s students are either proficient or earned advanced proficient status overall.
“We were No. 1 in the county across the board,” McLellan said. “We were No. 1 in language arts, No. 1 in math and No. 1 overall. Plus, with the projected totals being in the top 13 percent of the state overall, with schools and districts of all sizes throughout the state, we are absolutely elated and thrilled.”
McLellan said that the test scores prove that the educational process is certainly working in Weehawken.
“The scores are a testament to the work of the administration, the faculty, the Board of Education and the community,” McLellan said. “I know the work the teachers go through each and every day to make sure that the students are ready to take the tests.”
In fact, McLellan said that Weehawken’s teachers begin preparations long before the students reach fourth grade and take the state-mandated standardized tests for the first time.
“Each student has a level of proficiency that they have to meet before they reach fourth grade,” McLellan said. “The teachers follow strict standards that we have set from kindergarten. If the students don’t live up to the standards, they don’t move on. They need a certain body of knowledge. This is a result of that body.”
Weehawken Board of Education President Richard Barsa echoed McLellan’s sentiments about the test scores.
“The Board is very pleased with the results,” Barsa said. “We’re very proud of the teachers and administrators. It’s a direct result of what we’ve been trying to do in the district for a long time.”
McLellan said that the ESPA test scores are vital, especially since President Bush and other federal and state legislators have pushed for an emphasis on early childhood education.
“Educators realize that they cannot remediate problems when a student is in high school,” McLellan said. “It’s too difficult to do then. Everything should begin in the child’s early years, so that’s why there has been such a concentrated effort throughout the country on the early years.”
McLellan said that he wanted to congratulate the efforts of Roosevelt School Principal Anthony LaBruno and his faculty. All fourth grade students in the township attend Roosevelt School.
Now that the fourth grade test scores have arrived with rousing success, McLellan said that he anxiously awaits the next round of results – the GEPA (Grade Eight Proficiency Assessment), which should arrive within the next few weeks.
“We’re hoping for similar results,” McLellan said.