Byram School District gets good report card

Byram - An early peek at the results of seven different state tests administered in three subjects to students in grades 3, 4 and 8 in the Byram Township schools shows an overall improvement in student proficiency when compared to scores achieved in 2004. Third grade scores showed an improvement from 86.1 percent proficiency in language arts to 90.5 percent this year. But they also indicated that math proficiency for the grade is slipping from 94.6 last year to 92.7 percent this year. Fourth-graders achieved the biggest jump in math proficiency, moving from 85.4 to 95.4 percent in just one year. Language arts scores for that grade increased just .3 percentage point to 94.6. While all three areas tested in eighth grade, language arts, math and science showed an increase over the previous year, math is still a problem area with student proficiency overall only in the lower 72.5 percentile. That number does represent an improvement of 3.2 percentage points over last year, but School Superintendent Joe Pezak says more work needs to be done. “I’m pleased because we are going in the right direction,” said Pezak. “But we are always concerned about mathematics at the 8th grade level and there is room for improvement.” According to Pezak part of the reason why students have a harder time learning math may be due to the way schools are required to teach the subject. “It is a more abstract discipline with a curriculum that is a mile wide and an inch thick,” explained Pezak. “We try to manage so much in so little time. There are time constraints, test dates to comply with. Teacher’s are forced to rush through.” The district is undertaking several initiatives to help students raise their scores, including revising the curriculum and reducing class sizes. In addition, a student monitoring program has been instituted where by each student is assessed on a weekly basis. The district is also relying on computers to help monitor students’ growth in math skills. “It is a technologically oriented program,” said Pezak. “Students go to the computer lab for assessment. It is a nationwide program customized for New Jersey.” Pezak said that if these efforts are not successful, the district may look into increasing the amount of time students spend in the math classroom. But Pezak is hoping to avoid taking that step. “In some districts they double up on math time. If we do that something like music or the arts has to go away,” said Pezak. While math is definitely an area of concern for the district, Pezak said he is pleased with the increase in student achievement overall. And he attributed the majority of the positive trend to those on the front line. “We have good students,” said Pezak. “We have a fine clientele with parental support and a fine staff.”