District reports rise in out-of-school suspensions, large math gains in fall NJGPA; testing irregularities prompt retests

At the Advisory Board meeting Dr. Dali presented the Student Safety and Data System (SSDS) report for Sept. 1Dec. 31 and fall NJGPA assessment results.

On SSDS reporting, the district recorded 82 incidents in the first reporting period across required categories (vandalism, violence, weapons, substance abuse, HIB). The district reported 315 out-of-school suspensions in the first reporting period of 202526, an increase from 206 in the same reporting period in 202425; in-school suspensions fell to 18 from 76 in the prior year's first reporting period. Dr. Dali said the district conducted 34 HIB (harassment, intimidation, and bullying) investigations in the period, with six confirmed cases and detailed the remediation and disciplinary steps taken for each confirmed finding.

Dr. Dali described district training and programs intended to reduce incidents, including restorative justice, trauma-informed practices, and staff compliance training. She credited the security team and administrators for compiling the SSDS information.

On assessments, the district reported gains on the fall NJGPA (original version): the fall cohort showed a district-wide math proficiency increase of 20.7 percentage points (from about 11.2% to 31.9% graduation-ready in math) and a smaller increase in ELA. Dr. Dali highlighted strong math scaled scores at Creative and Brim and congratulated math teachers.

She also described statewide test-administration irregularities affecting adaptive sessions (confusion about session timing and directions). The New Jersey Department of Education expanded guidance to allow a "void and reset" retest option for students whose sessions were administered incorrectly; the district said affected students were identified, families contacted, and retests administered as allowed.

"We're making some serious gains," Dr. Dali said of the math results, while also noting the district is waiting for spring adaptive assessment scores and state approvals on score ranges.

The presentation included requested follow-ups: the next SSDS reporting period (Jan. 1June 30) will be due in July and will be brought back to the board for review.