Newark’s state test scores dropped last spring. What’s helping students get back on track?

After annual state testing in spring 2022 showed big drops in English language arts and math, Newark Public Schools deployed a number of efforts to address the learning slides. Some of these strategies included high-dosage tutoring and a big expansion of summer school.  About 10,000 public school students were required to attend summer school this year, more than double the number from last year.   In the classroom, teachers are working with students who need help practicing handwriting and strengthening reading comprehension skills, while others implement group work that challenges students to discuss different ways to solve math problems. 

“The effort to close the achievement gap and accelerate learning is a collective effort,” said Newark Public Schools Assistant Superintendent José Fuentes. “And hopefully we’ll see robust gains from this summer.”