The Evesham Township School District’s (ETSD) State of the Schools presentation from the 2025-2026 school year was shared with the board of education and the public at the board’s Oct. 22 meeting. Each fall, the district provides a presentation to highlight achievement from the previous school year in the following four areas: ESEA Performance; District Assessment Results in Language Arts and Math; Standardized Testing Results from NJSLA and CogATs; and Data Review Process and Analysis. Results are utilized to determine focus areas for the current school year and in determining district, school and individual teacher goal areas. Professional development and curriculum writing, planning and implementation are also targeted in identified areas.
According to the ETSD’s website, focus areas for all content/related arts areas are as follows: implement classroom differentiation strategies and support to meet specific student needs based on a variety of assessment data; intentionally select technology tools that authentically support learning, including meaningful test prep integration, where appropriate; and emphasize purpose and intent in the planning stages to increase focus on learning across lessons. These are further defined for staff in the areas of literacy, math, science and social studies at department/grade level meetings. The ETSD presentation showed that student proficiency rates in English Language Arts and math came in higher than New Jersey state averages; the district’s Reading Recovery program served 101 of the lowest achieving first-grade children in the district’s six elementary schools with 73.3% showing accelerated progress; and the district applied for a Stronger Connections Grant to fund additional coaching supports for staff. The Stronger Connections Grant is a federal initiative which aims to bolster mental health support services in K-12 educational institutions.
“I’m excited to see that we were accepted for the Stronger Grant,” said board member Krista Marie Iannelli. “I think that’s a really unique and amazing opportunity coming from the state. It provides us with coaching, leadership training and we have direct access to experts from the New Jersey Department of Education, so I think that working collaboratively with those experts through the grant will give us valuable feedback… It’s nice to see that we’re trending upwards and our percentages are slightly above the state average as well as the county. We continue to have room to grow, so I think taking advantage of opportunities like this Stronger grant shows we’re dedicated to improvement.”
“I do feel like the district is moving in a positive direction,” said board member Erin McCloskey. “I do think it’s important though to highlight that yes, while we are average, I think we can all say on this board that we’re striving for above. So, I hope that we can continue to make progress in that direction.
The mission of the ETSD, as stated on the district website, is to promote excellence in an environment that engages students in meaningful learning experiences. In partnership with students, dedicated staff, families and community, the district provides a strong educational foundation that will empower its students to achieve their unique potential, embrace self-directed, life-long learning, develop the skills necessary for appropriate risk-taking and responsible decision-making, and respect themselves and others. To view the 2025-2026 State of Schools presentation, visit the board’s YouTube channel at www.evesham.k12.nj.us/board-meeting-schedule.
