Knowlton Township School’s Oct. 27 meeting focused on the results of Spring 2025 NJSLA testing. But not before it crowned its latest Knowlton knight.
The most recent addition to Knowlton Knighthood is third grader Isabella “Bella” Lembeck. Vice Principal Dana Carroll read her knighting nomination aloud.
“Bella is such a shining star,” she read. “Bella is the first to look around the room and make sure everyone is included. If she sees anyone without a buddy or group, she will take it upon herself to say, ‘Do you want to work with us?’ And as always, she has a smile on her face when she says this.”
After the heartwarming ritual, it was time to crunch the numbers from the spring 2025 NJSLA. The NJSLA is administered every year to students statewide, with the aim of measuring every school district’s mastery of learning outcomes.
Knowlton by the Numbers
Knowlton’s NJSLA results from this spring showed a strong performance across grade levels and subject areas. In eight out of the nine grade-level subject tests, Knowlton equaled or exceeded the state average.
Knowlton’s top three results vs. the state were:
* Grade 4 English Language Arts. Knowlton’s average: 756, seven points higher than the statewide average of 749.
* Grade 5 Science. Knowlton’s average: 183, eight points higher than the statewide average of 173. (The science test is scored on a different scale than ELA and math.)
* Grade 3 English Language Arts. Knowlton’s average: 756, 14 points higher than the statewide average of 742.
Some grades also showed significant improvement over Knowlton’s own test performance last year. This year’s Grade 4 scored 10 points higher than last year’s Grade 4 in ELA. Grade 5 also put in a strong performance, outscoring last year’s Grade 5 by 13 points in math. They also outperformed last year’s results in Science by 10 points.
Knowlton slightly underperformed the state in a single subject test: Grade 4 math, with a district average of 744 vs. the statewide average of 746.
Grade 6 underperformed last year’s Grade 6 by 12 points in ELA. Even so, the district average of 751 matched the statewide average, also 751.
In response to the NJSLA data, district staff intend to continue addressing learning loss through workshops, teacher professional development, more targeted use of in-house assessments to identify areas of student weakness, and working on student mindset and motivation. The school has also reordered the sequence of the math curriculum to better align with material on the test.
This school year, the NJSLA’s format is changing. It will now be an adaptive test, with the question difficulty increasing or decreasing in real-time in response to how well a student is doing.
Tammy Smith Speaks Out on Her Ouster
In the public comment session that concluded the meeting, board president Tammy Smith delivered a public statement. It is her first public comment regarding her removal from her position as president of the New Jersey School Boards Association, as reported by the New Jersey Globe.
The association has stated that this action does not affect her local office as school board member and president.
Smith’s statement read that she was removed for a perceived conflict of interest between her public service and her career in the insurance industry.
She argued that the association has always known about her 33 years in the insurance profession, and that she has included it in her financial filings every year of her service.
“I served this association with integrity, transparency and professionalism for over 15 years,” she said. “There has never been and is still not any conflict between my volunteer service and my professional career. So at the end of the day, titles do come and go, but integrity endures, and mine is intact.”
Other Notable Concerns for Knowlton
- Knowlton’s new Spanish program has received some positive feedback, but staff wonder if the immersive program is too difficult for the younger grades. The instruction committee is considering using a K–2 American Sign Language program instead next year.
- Board member Nicole Dabkowski raised a concern about an increase in HIB (Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying) report, saying that bullying incidents seem to have spread “like wildfire this year.” The board was limited in its ability to address individual cases due to concerns about student confidentiality.
The next Knowlton Board of Education meeting will take place on Nov. 17 at 6:30 p.m.
Chip O'Chang is an educator, fiction writer, and lifelong resident of New Jersey. He has also written for My Life Publications and NJ Indy. He lives in the NJ Skylands with his partner, two cats, and and a bearded dragon.
- Chip O'Chang, Contributing Writerhttps://ridgeviewecho.com/author/chip-ochang-contributing-writer/
- Chip O'Chang, Contributing Writerhttps://ridgeviewecho.com/author/chip-ochang-contributing-writer/
- Chip O'Chang, Contributing Writerhttps://ridgeviewecho.com/author/chip-ochang-contributing-writer/
- Chip O'Chang, Contributing Writerhttps://ridgeviewecho.com/author/chip-ochang-contributing-writer/
