Mahwah Juniors Outpace State On First-Ever Graduation Proficiency Exam

MAHWAH, NJ — Mahwah's class of 2023 scored well above state averages on an end-of-the-year exam gauging graduation proficiency, though school officials said they will not rest on laurels and will continue to push for improvement.

In the exit-exam, which was administered last spring to high school juniors across the state, 65% of the 2023 class qualified as graduation ready in English Language Arts, compared to 39% in the state. And 76% of Mahwah's then-juniors were deemed graduation ready in math, whereas 50% of those statewide were not.

Marking the first time the students took a state exam in three years, the administration of the field test was rolled out by Gov. Phil Murphy, and the subsequent results are provided to districts for "informational purposes and curricular review," according to a state government website.

Mahwah Schools Director of Curriculum and Instructor Linda Bovino-Romeo, while presenting on the scores at the Dec. 7 Board of Education meeting, highlighted school-based interventions that help support college- and career- readiness among Mahwah students, particularly those who did not "pass" this field test.

A significant portion of students who did not meet the cut score of 750 out of an overall 800 on the New Jersey Graduation Proficiency Assessment scored between 740 and 750, according to Superintendent Michael DeTuro, which, he said, was also "encouraging."

DeTuro and Bovino-Romeo reminded that the assessment results are one out of multiple data sources that the district uses to evaluate students, and that they are looking holistically at student profiles to make sure the district is meeting pupils where they are.

Student scores on this assessment will not affect whether they graduation; the test is expected to be administered again in the spring, this time to the 2024 class, district officials said.