Lakeland Regional High School’s students had some of the highest scores in the county for the 2022-2023 state testing. Students took the New Jersey Graduation Proficiency Assessment (NJGPA) and the New Jersey Student Learning Assessment (NJSLA) in the spring of 2023, and scores were just released mid-December.
Juniors that took the NJGPA scored highest in the county for the English section, and third for the math. In terms of the NJSLA, students scored in the top 3 for both English and math, only trailing mere points behind Wayne Hills and Wayne Valley.
Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction, Mr. Michael Novak, says that he gives all the teachers a lot of credit for providing education for students. Mr. Novak shared that it is not only the English and math departments that contribute this accomplishment, and he recognized social studies teachers for helping with scores on the tests through critical thinking and writing assignments. Most of all, Mr. Novak praises the LRHS students who worked hard, and stated these test scores are well deserved.
In terms of helping students prepare for the test, mathematics teacher, Mr. Andrew Truong, says, “ My focus in class is in helping students develop strategies for being effective readers and writers in preparation for college. If they’re putting in the effort in class, they develop the skills they need when testing time comes.” He also has them take sample tests prior to the testing window.
Both tests consist of an English and math section. The NJGPA is taken by juniors throughout the state and is a graduation requirement, while the NJSLA is taken by freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, depending on what level of subject the student is enrolled in.
In order to continue to prepare students for state assessments, the district, English department, and math department evaluate the test scores and data to determine where students are both succeeding and struggling. According to Mr. Novak, teaching staff use that data over the year to provide instruction that will target areas of weakness to continue to have high achieving scores in coming years.
