The following is an outline of the assessments that our students will be given:

Grades 1 and 2 — NJ Pass

The NJPASS is an assessment that assesses how students are progressing toward meeting the state standards by which they will be measured in grades 3-8 and 11. The NJPASS is designed to help teachers determine what students know about language arts and mathematics literacy, to identify students' strengths andweaknesses,and to facilitate subsequent instruction in preparation for the NJ ASK. A purpose of administering a formal assessment in grades 1 and 2 is to ensure that students taking the NJPASS will have an authentic testing experiencewith test content closely aligned to the state standards. Results of the NJPASS will provide teachers and parents with valid and comprehensive information regarding student performance in those areas of language arts and math specified in the state curriculum.

Grades 3-8 — NJ ASK

With the enactment of the NCLB Act, New Jersey's statewide assessment of elementary students has undergone further change. Under the provisions of the NCLB Act, every state is required to administer annual standards-based assessment of all children in grade 3 through 8 and 11. Federal expectation is that each state will provide tests that are grounded in that state's content standards and that assessment of students' critical thinking skills will occur in three content areas: language arts literacy, mathematics, and science.

Grade 11 — HSPA

In 1998, the New Jersey legislature passed legislation (18A: 7C-6.2) that requires all students who graduate from a public high school in New Jersey to demonstrate mastery of skills "...needed to function politically, economically, and socially in a democratic society." The High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA) is administered to students who enter the eleventh grade on or before September 1st, 2001. As preparation for this important assessment, the NJPASS will be administered to students in grades 9 and 10. The NJPASS is designed to help teachers determine what students know about language arts and mathematics literacy, to identify students' strengths and weaknesses, and to facilitate subsequent instruction in preparation for the HSPA.