ASBURY PARK PRESS :: MONMOUTH EDITION

APP.COM $1.50

WEDNESDAY 02.03.16

Big Easy flavor

Head to these local restaurants to enjoy a Mardi Gras meal. Table, 1D

State releases
more data on
PARCC tests
New results give a closer look into
how N.J. school districts performed
KAREN YI @KAREN_YI
AMANDA OGLESBY @OGLESBYAPP
AND NICQUEL TERRY @NTERRYAPP

No reset for
candidate as he
heads to N.H.
after Iowa loss

The PARCC exams, the source of so much parental

and student anxiety last year, is kicking up dust again.
The state Department of Education Tuesday released more detailed data on the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or
PARCC, showing how districts, schools and students
in specific subgroups performed on the exams. The
test was administered for the first time last spring to
students in grades 3-11 in math and language arts.
The newly released batch of student test scores will
give parents and educators the opportunity to draw
comparisons between schools and districts across the
state, and better understand where and why students
are falling behind.
The exam, tied to tougher academic benchmarks
known as Common Core, was designed to push critical
thinking skills and better identify student abilities,
education officials said. Students receive scores from
level 1 to 5. Those who score level 4 or 5 are considered
to be meeting grade-level expectations.
See PARCC, Page 5A

To search results in your

Weve got a
lot of
institutional
advantages
here that we
just never had
in Iowa.

school, visit APP.com and

search PARCC to access this story.

GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE

BOB BIELK/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

One year ago, the Archdiocese of Trenton announced that

Mater Dei Prep would close. But, despite long odds, its still
open, and its thriving.

One year after death

notice, Mater Dei
Prep turning around
JERRY CARINO @NJHOOPSHAVEN

BOB JORDAN @BOBJORDANAPP

MICHAEL SYMONS @MICHAELSYMONS_

The New Jersey governor is undaunted.

There is no sign Chris Christie, who finished 10th in the nations first GOP presidential nominating
contest Monday, is hitting the reset button heading into Tuesdays New Hampshire primary.
Poor showings in the Iowa caucuses prompted two humbled candidates, one in each party, to drop
out of the race. Not Christie, who quickly moved on to a get-out-the-vote event Tuesday at his Bedford,
New Hampshire, campaign headquarters, promising better results in the Live Free or Die state.
But New Hampshire could be Christies last stand, if he doesnt do well. Funding is an issue. Eight
GOP candidates had more money in their campaign accounts on Dec. 31, according to Federal Election Commission reports.
Weve got a lot of institutional advantages here that we just never had in Iowa and we werent
See CHRISTIE, Page 4A

Think spring!
Groundhog sees winters end; forecasters not so sure. 14A

ADVICE
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COMICS
LOCAL
OBITUARIES

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1E
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OPINION
SPORTS
TABLE
WEATHER
YOUR MONEY

12A
1C
1D
8C
6A

VOLUME 137
NUMBER 29
SINCE 1879

MIDDLETOWN - Most Fridays around 11 a.m.,

Ashley Diana steps onto the stage in Mater Dei Preps
third-floor lounge and starts singing. One of the seniors staples is the Broadway classic Maybe This
Time, a hopeful song about turning things around.
Its fitting. This weekly cabaret period for Mater
Dei students is one of many new twists for the 50-yearold Catholic high school, which is seeing signs of
growth one year after news broke that it would be shut
down in June 2015.
See MATER DEI, Page 4A