The South River Public School District reviewed student-assessment results, its annual anti-bullying self-assessment and several instructional initiatives during its public meeting.

Superintendent Dr. Zurcher told the board the district’s new educational annex is open and houses two Head Start preschool classes and one district preschool class. “We had a successful opening, and everybody is really enjoying the new space,” she said. The superintendent also reported a strong CUSAC compliance review across multiple categories: fiscal management, governance, operations and personnel each scored 100 percent; the district received an overall CUSAC score of 79.03.

The board received a presentation from Mr. Mac Crouch on the district’s 2024–25 anti-bullying (HIB) self-assessment, which Mr. Crouch said is required “by the commissioner of education to show our efforts … in prohibiting bullying inside of the district.” He described the assessment’s eight core elements — including programs and training, staff instruction, HIB investigation and reporting procedures — and said all buildings exceeded state requirements on those measures. Mr. Crouch outlined existing and expanded supports such as climate-culture specialists, a positive-postcard program, student advisory teams, MTSS interventions, restorative community service and partnerships with Effective School Solutions and Rutgers Behavioral Health.

Dr. Trevisano delivered the district’s required standardized-test report, explaining the presentation covered three major assessments: the New Jersey Student Learning Assessments (NJSLA) in English language arts, mathematics and science; ACCESS for ELLs (WIDA) for English-language learners; and the Dynamic Learning Maps assessments for students with significant cognitive disabilities. He noted reporting differences that affect comparisons — for example, multilingual learners in the U.S. for less than a year are exempt from the language-arts NJSLA — and cautioned that percentage totals may not sum to 100 because of rounding in published reports.

Key figures cited by presenters and staff:
- 20 First Century program enrollment: 360 students in grades 3–12, an increase of more than 150 students from the prior year, with a wait list of about 77 students interested in attending. Expansion of program staffing to permit additional enrollments was on the meeting agenda.
- CUSAC compliance: 100 percent in fiscal management, governance, operations and personnel; overall score reported as 79.03.
- HIB self-assessment: all school buildings scored above state requirements across the eight core elements; the district plans increased data collection and district-wide programming to sustain gains.
- Assessments: Middle school and certain grade bands showed measurable year-over-year gains in NJSLA performance (for example, grade 7 ELA improved by about 7.7 percentage points over the previous year), and grade-level mathematics gains included grade 6 improving by about 7.4 percent.

Dr. Trevisano also highlighted growing ACCESS for ELLs testing volumes following post‑COVID enrollment shifts, noting a marked increase in primary-grade ELL testing. The Dynamic Learning Maps data showed many younger students assessed at “at target” or “advanced” levels, a point staff said they found encouraging for early-intervention efforts.

Looking ahead, the district said it applied for and was awarded a grant to fund a K–8 literacy coach, purchased a new interdisciplinary K–5 literacy series selected by teachers, revised its MTSS process to streamline data and reviews, and will screen all K–3 students for literacy three times per year to identify needs earlier. Dr. Trevisano and the superintendent framed these steps as part of a broader push to strengthen Tier 1 classroom interventions and expand teacher coaching and supports.

Student board representative Shiza Hussain commented on the 20 First Century program from a student perspective, saying the program “gives me a good amount of extra 30 minutes to maybe an hour just to kinda catch up on my work” and credited it with helping peers manage heavy school days.

No formal policy decisions were taken during the data presentations; items tied to staffing and assessments were included in the consent resolution the board adopted later in the meeting.