Student Test Scores Remain Steady, Despite Changes to Core Curriculum

by John Mooney, NJSpotlight.com

Over the years, New Jersey’s annual rollout of school test scores has often come with a broader message: Students are doing better. Students are doing worse. The achievement gap is widening. The achievement gap is closing.

Yesterday, as the Christie administration announced that there was little change in the 2012-2013 test scores for New Jersey’s 2,500 schools, the message appeared to be more about the state itself as it embarks on some big changes in testing and standards.

One one hand, the administration was telling the public to stay calm, stressing that the new Common Core State Standards and the dramatically new testing they will bring in the coming years maybe not as big a shock as some fear.

On the other, there is going to be at least some shock.

In an elaborate hour-long presentation before the state Board of Education, Education Commissioner Chris Cerf and his top lieutenant for testing, assistant commissioner Bari Erlichson, went step by step through the latest scores and what they mean for the state.

Bottom line: little had changed in the past year -- or even the past several years -- in terms of test results, as the state as started to transition to the new Common Core standards.

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