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| Hoboken High School, Hoboken NJ |
Compared to similar school districts in the State of New Jersey, the
Hoboken School District is ranked 65th out of 77 on the most recent PARCC scores.
An earlier post reported on PARCC scores of all high schools in New Jersey. Some regular readers contacted me about wanting information about district data on PARCC measures. This appeared to be a reasonable request. I used composite PARCC scores (all tested grades, in Math and Language) as is common practice when using district wide data. The data was not difficult to obtain but took a little time to compile. There are a number of ways to compare this data. You can compare districts within a county (i.e. Hudson County). You can compare districts based on population or even region. One useful way to look at this data is to compare the PARCC scores to similar districts--districts with similar socio-economic characteristics of the families who use the public schools. Fortunately, the New Jersey Department of Eduction makes this fairly easy to do with its district factor grouping.
An earlier post reported on PARCC scores of all high schools in New Jersey. Some regular readers contacted me about wanting information about district data on PARCC measures. This appeared to be a reasonable request. I used composite PARCC scores (all tested grades, in Math and Language) as is common practice when using district wide data. The data was not difficult to obtain but took a little time to compile. There are a number of ways to compare this data. You can compare districts within a county (i.e. Hudson County). You can compare districts based on population or even region. One useful way to look at this data is to compare the PARCC scores to similar districts--districts with similar socio-economic characteristics of the families who use the public schools. Fortunately, the New Jersey Department of Eduction makes this fairly easy to do with its district factor grouping.
In New Jersey the District Factor Groups (DFGs) were first developed
in 1975 for the purpose of comparing students’ performance on statewide
assessments across demographically similar school districts.
The Hoboken School District is classified as an "FG" district and currently is ranked 65th out of 77
FG school districts on the 2016 composite PARCC scores (see Figure 1). All FG districts have similar occupational status, adults
without high school diplomas, people living in poverty, and median
family income etc...
 |
| Figure 1: Hoboken School District compared to NJ school districts with similar student demographics designated by the New Jersey Department of Education (District Factor Group)- "FG" |
The DFGs represent an approximate measure of a community’s
relative socioeconomic status (SES). The classification system provides
a useful tool for examining student achievement and comparing similarly-situated
school districts in other analyses. The DFGs do not have a primary or
significant influence in the school funding formula beyond the legal
requirements associated with parity aid provided to the Abbott districts.
Efforts are always made to improve the methodology while
preserving the underlying meaning of the DFG classification system. After
discussing the measure with representatives from school districts and
experimenting with various methods, the DFGs are calculated using the
following six variables that are closely related to SES:
1) Percent of adults with no high school diploma
2) Percent of adults with some college education
3) Occupational status
4) Unemployment rate
5) Percent of individuals in poverty
6) Median family income.
Therefore, using the district factor group classification is one of the most reliable methods for comparing a school district with other districts since socio-economic status is accounted for or "factored in" the calculations. Consequently, compared to comparable school districts in the State of New Jersey, the Hoboken School District is ranked 65th out of 77 similar school districts or in the lower 16%. What is especially surprising is many elected officials in the City of Hoboken believe this ranking is indicative of an improving school district and of a school district making forward progress. I struggle to understand that perspective and offer no other commentary on the topic at this time.
2) Percent of adults with some college education
3) Occupational status
4) Unemployment rate
5) Percent of individuals in poverty
6) Median family income.
Therefore, using the district factor group classification is one of the most reliable methods for comparing a school district with other districts since socio-economic status is accounted for or "factored in" the calculations. Consequently, compared to comparable school districts in the State of New Jersey, the Hoboken School District is ranked 65th out of 77 similar school districts or in the lower 16%. What is especially surprising is many elected officials in the City of Hoboken believe this ranking is indicative of an improving school district and of a school district making forward progress. I struggle to understand that perspective and offer no other commentary on the topic at this time.
| DISTRICT NAME | DFG | MEAN SCALE SCORE |
| 1. LONG BEACH ISLAND | FG | 775 |
| 2. NORTHVALE BORO | FG | 769 |
| 3. SPRING LAKE HEIGHTS BORO | FG | 766 |
| 4. CLARK TWP | FG | 762 |
| 5. LITTLE FALLS TWP | FG | 762 |
| 6. MATAWAN-ABERDEEN REGIONAL | FG | 761 |
| 7. MONROE TWP | FG | 761 |
| 8. SANDYSTON-WALPACK TWP | FG | 760 |
| 9. BLOOMINGDALE BORO | FG | 759 |
| 10. HOPE TWP | FG | 759 |
| 11. HOLLAND TWP | FG | 758 |
| 12. STONE HARBOR BORO | FG | 758 |
| 13. DUMONT BORO | FG | 757 |
| 14. FORT LEE BORO | FG | 757 |
| 15. NORTH HALEDON BORO | FG | 757 |
| 16. BORDENTOWN REGIONAL | FG | 756 |
| 17. POINT PLEASANT BEACH BORO | FG | 756 |
| 18. POINT PLEASANT BORO | FG | 756 |
| 19. WOODBURY HEIGHTS BORO | FG | 756 |
| 20. HOWELL TWP | FG | 755 |
| 21. ROCHELLE PARK TWP | FG | 755 |
| 22. SOUTH PLAINFIELD BORO | FG | 755 |
| 23. MANTUA TWP | FG | 754 |
| 24.COLLINGSWOOD BORO | FG | 753 |
| 25. LINCOLN PARK BORO | FG | 753 |
| 26. MIDDLESEX BORO | FG | 753 |
| 27. NEW MILFORD BORO | FG | 753 |
| 28. GIBBSBORO BORO | FG | 752 |
| 29. MAYWOOD BORO | FG | 752 |
| 30. SOUTH HARRISON TWP | FG | 752 |
| 31. UPPER TWP | FG | 752 |
| 32. HAINESPORT TWP | FG | 751 |
| 33. HARDYSTON TWP | FG | 751 |
| 34. LOGAN TWP | FG | 751 |
| 35. OLD BRIDGE TWP | FG | 751 |
| 36. ROCKAWAY BORO | FG | 751 |
| 37. STILLWATER TWP | FG | 751 |
| 38. BERGENFIELD BORO | FG | 750 |
| 39. HASBROUCK HEIGHTS BORO | FG | 750 |
| 40. NUTLEY TOWN | FG | 750 |
| 41. PORT REPUBLIC CITY | FG | 750 |
| 42. SPRINGFIELD TWP | FG | 750 |
| 43. WOODSTOWN-PILESGROVE REG | FG | 750 |
| 44. EAST GREENWICH TWP | FG | 749 |
| 45. WEST MILFORD TWP | FG | 749 |
| 46. WOOD-RIDGE BORO | FG | 749 |
| 47. CINNAMINSON TWP | FG | 748 |
| 48. KNOWLTON TWP | FG | 748 |
| 49. RIVERDALE BORO | FG | 748 |
| 50. BOONTON TOWN | FG | 747 |
| 51. POMPTON LAKES BORO | FG | 747 |
| 52. VERNON TWP | FG | 747 |
| 53. BLAIRSTOWN TWP | FG | 746 |
| 54. FRANKFORD TWP | FG | 745 |
| 55. MILLTOWN BORO | FG | 745 |
| 56. MINE HILL TWP | FG | 745 |
| 57. BURLINGTON TWP | FG | 744 |
| 58. DUNELLEN BORO | FG | 744 |
| 59. NORTH BRUNSWICK TWP | FG | 744 |
| 60. EATONTOWN BORO | FG | 743 |
| 61. HADDON TWP | FG | 743 |
| 62. HAMILTON TWP | FG | 743 |
| 63. WASHINGTON TWP | FG | 743 |
| 64. WEST LONG BRANCH BORO | FG | 743 |
| 65. HOBOKEN CITY | FG | 742 |
| 66. BARRINGTON BORO | FG | 741 |
| 67. LUMBERTON TWP | FG | 739 |
| 68. KINGWOOD TWP | FG | 738 |
| 69. OCEAN TWP | FG | 737 |
| 70. DELRAN TWP | FG | 736 |
| 71. EASTAMPTON TWP | FG | 736 |
| 72. MANSFIELD TWP | FG | 736 |
| 73. PITMAN BORO | FG | 736 |
| 74. HOPATCONG | FG | 735 |
| 75. SOMERVILLE BORO | FG | 732 |
| 76. OGDENSBURG BORO | FG | 730 |
| 77. ANDOVER REG | FG | 728 |
