Moorestown Schools Discuss Continuing Lag In Lower Grades

MOORESTOWN, NJ — There continues to be a lag for Moorestown students in Grades K-6 academically during an unusual school year amid the coronavirus pandemic, officials said during Tuesday night’s Board of Education meeting.

The lag is happening in math in districts across the state, and is something the district is looking to address now and when it returns to in-person instruction, Superintendent Scott McCartney said.

At the October meeting, officials said students were about two-and-a-half weeks behind where they expected to be at that point in the school year. On Tuesday night, officials said the lag varies by grade and subject.

Director of Curriculum and Instruction Carole Butler said the administration has had conversations with the staff, and they are making modifications. She said more information would be known at the December meeting.

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“We are not at the places we were last year, but you can’t compare this year to last year,” McCartney said.

He said that while teachers might not be teaching exactly to plan, they are teaching the standards the students will need to make it to the next grade level.

The amount of time spent in school is contributing to the lag, which is why it is pronounced in Grades K-6. While older students are more independent and it is easier for them to follow along with virtual instruction, students in lower grades benefit more from in-person instruction.

“More depth is being accomplished during in-person days,” McCartney said. “We’re continuing to discuss how to augment that.”

In-person instruction is limited due to indoor gathering limits that have been set forth by Gov. Phil Murphy. Read more here: Greater Gathering Limit Key For Changes In Moorestown School Plan

Gathering limits aren’t being loosened either. They’re going in the opposite direction, as Murphy recently restricted limits from 25 to 10. Read more here: Gov. Murphy: NJ To Lower Gathering Limits Amid Coronavirus Spikes

Officials said the district can provide information on student progress to parents. It may not be able to provide a pacing guide, but it can discuss what ideas are being taught at each level.
Board Member David Weinstein believes the problem runs deeper than just what is happening related to the coronavirus.

“We traditionally have a problem in sixth grade math,” Weinstein said. “Is it a deeper skew?”

Officials said they compared this year’s scores to last year’s, and the dip isn’t as large as they thought it would be. Board President Sandra Alberti said there’s no way to tell if the dip is due to the coronavirus.

“How do we compare, and how do we recover?” Weinstein asked. “I understand we have a problem, and we can’t do anything about it now, but what can we do in the future?”

McCartney said there will be a conversation across districts. Both board members and district officials made it clear that they weren’t being critical of the teachers, who are working hard to teach the children under unprecedented circumstances. They also said they will continue to improve on what needs to be done.