Technology
The district continuously evaluates its Information Technology assets and proactively upgrades or replaces obsolete items. In addition to end-user devices, the district invests in its network and cloud infrastructure and Internet access and security to provide access to online learning platforms and assessments such as the Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) and Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC).
In addition, the district has significantly invested in the development of online district-level assessments to better measure student progress toward the Common Core State Standards and the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards.
Instructional Management System
The district’s Instructional Management system is SchoolNet, which allows the user to sign-in through Power School. SchoolNet houses the district curriculum, resources, lesson plans and assessments, all of which are tied together via the NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards and/or the Common Core State Standards.
Testing
Assessment is informed by the needs, ends, and processes of teaching and learning. District formative assessments provide feedback to both our teachers and students on the student’s learning and developmental progress. District summative assessments provide information for parents on their child’s progress, and for teachers on students’ instructional needs. Passaic Public Schools’ assessments are now online and students take their assessments in SchoolNet. The district conducts benchmarking and benchmark assessments in Language Arts, Math and Social Studies online.
Interventions are in place to ensure that all students at risk will be provided with additional Math and Language Arts instruction. Reading Interventionists were hired to provide the lowest achieving students with individualized instruction. Instructional Chairpersons in Special Education, Language Arts, English Language Acquisition and Mathematics were hired to provide all elementary schools and the middle school with job-embedded coaching and observations.
Data-driven decision making is being provided through Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) testing in grades K-2, GOLD in Kindergarten, STAR in grades 3-12, Pearson SuccessNet, Collections, Language Gains (new ELL online program), Everyday Mathematics and new math benchmark assessments.
The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) is administered to our students in grades 3-12. NJASK Science, paper based test, is administered to our students in grades 4 and 8. The New Jersey Biology Competency Test (NJBCT) is administered to students in grades 9, 10, 11, and 12.
ELL students participate in the ACCESS test to identify levels of English language proficiency. This test was administered to 3,142 ELL students in grades K-12. Toe district administers the alternate assessment for students with the most significant intellectual disabilities in English Language Arts and Mathematics using the Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM) program. Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) testing in grades K-2 replaced the Terranova 3rd Edition.