New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge
Encyclopedia
NJASK or the New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge is a standardized test
given to all New Jersey
public-schooled students in grades 3-8 during (usually) March, April, or May, and is administered by the New Jersey Department of Education
.
Together with the High School Proficiency Assessment
(HSPA) that is given to students in eleventh grade, the NJASK is part of a battery of tests used to assess student performance in New Jersey's public schools.
The test was originally called the Elementary School Proficiency Assessment (ESPA), which was administered at grade 4 from 1997 through 2002 to provide an early indication of student progress toward achieving the knowledge and skills identified in the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
(CCCS).
In spring 2003, the state education department replaced the ESPA with the NJASK, which is a comprehensive, multi-grade assessment program. It assesses student achievement in language arts, math, and science. Along with other indicators of student progress, the results of the elementary-level assessments are intended to be used to identify students who need additional instructional support in order to reach the CCCS.
Alternate Proficiency Assessment (APA) is a portfolio-based assessment method used to measure academic progress for students with severe disabilities who are unable to participate in the standardized assessment tests. The APA is given to a student in each content area where the student's disability is so severe that the student is not receiving instruction in the skill being measured and the student cannot complete any of the types of questions on the assessment in a content area even with appropriate changes and accommodations.
public-schooled students in March of their eighth grade year. It is often known as the "preparation test" for the High School Proficiency Assessment
(HSPA), which has similar rules and information. Beginning in 2008, the Grade 8 Proficency test has been changed to New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge Grade 8 or NJASK8.
Together with the New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge (NJASK) administered in grades 3-7 and the HSPA (High School Proficiency Assessment) given to students in eleventh grade, the GEPA is part of a battery of tests used to assess student performance in New Jersey's public schools.
It consists of three major parts which are Science, Math, and Language Arts.
The test was first administered in 1991 as the Early Warning Test (EWT). In 1999, it became GEPA.
The highest a student can receive is Advanced Proficient, which is achieved by getting a score of 250 or higher. This is followed by Proficient (achieved by a majority of non-special needs students), anywhere between 200 and 250. Finally, the lowest is Partially Proficient, which is below 200..
Alternate Proficiency Assessment (APA) is a portfolio-based assessment method used to measure academic progress for students with severe disabilities who are unable to participate in the standardized assessment tests. The APA is given to a student in each content area where the student's disability is so severe that the student is not receiving instruction in the skill being measured and the student cannot complete any of the types of questions on the assessment in a content area even with appropriate changes and accommodations.
In 2008, the GEPA was phased out in favor of a new version known as the NJ ASK 8. The new test will include changes from the original version, such as the deletion of the picture prompt.
Standardized test
A standardized test is a test that is administered and scored in a consistent, or "standard", manner. Standardized tests are designed in such a way that the questions, conditions for administering, scoring procedures, and interpretations are consistent and are administered and scored in a...
given to all New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
public-schooled students in grades 3-8 during (usually) March, April, or May, and is administered by the New Jersey Department of Education
New Jersey Department of Education
The New Jersey Department of Education administers state and federal aid programs affecting more than 1.4 million public and non-public elementary and secondary school children in the state of New Jersey. The department is headquartered in Trenton.The Department is responsible for ensuring that...
.
Together with the High School Proficiency Assessment
High School Proficiency Assessment
The High School Proficiency Assessment is a standardized test administered by the New Jersey Department of Education to all New Jersey high school students in March of their junior year...
(HSPA) that is given to students in eleventh grade, the NJASK is part of a battery of tests used to assess student performance in New Jersey's public schools.
The test was originally called the Elementary School Proficiency Assessment (ESPA), which was administered at grade 4 from 1997 through 2002 to provide an early indication of student progress toward achieving the knowledge and skills identified in the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
The New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards were created by the New Jersey State Board of Education in 1996 as the framework for education in New Jersey's public schools and clearly define what all students should know and be able to accomplish at the end of thirteen years of public education....
(CCCS).
In spring 2003, the state education department replaced the ESPA with the NJASK, which is a comprehensive, multi-grade assessment program. It assesses student achievement in language arts, math, and science. Along with other indicators of student progress, the results of the elementary-level assessments are intended to be used to identify students who need additional instructional support in order to reach the CCCS.
Alternate Proficiency Assessment (APA) is a portfolio-based assessment method used to measure academic progress for students with severe disabilities who are unable to participate in the standardized assessment tests. The APA is given to a student in each content area where the student's disability is so severe that the student is not receiving instruction in the skill being measured and the student cannot complete any of the types of questions on the assessment in a content area even with appropriate changes and accommodations.
GEPA
The Grade Eight Proficiency Assessment (abbreviated GEPA and pronounced "geh-puh")' was given to all New JerseyNew Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
public-schooled students in March of their eighth grade year. It is often known as the "preparation test" for the High School Proficiency Assessment
High School Proficiency Assessment
The High School Proficiency Assessment is a standardized test administered by the New Jersey Department of Education to all New Jersey high school students in March of their junior year...
(HSPA), which has similar rules and information. Beginning in 2008, the Grade 8 Proficency test has been changed to New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge Grade 8 or NJASK8.
Together with the New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge (NJASK) administered in grades 3-7 and the HSPA (High School Proficiency Assessment) given to students in eleventh grade, the GEPA is part of a battery of tests used to assess student performance in New Jersey's public schools.
It consists of three major parts which are Science, Math, and Language Arts.
The test was first administered in 1991 as the Early Warning Test (EWT). In 1999, it became GEPA.
The highest a student can receive is Advanced Proficient, which is achieved by getting a score of 250 or higher. This is followed by Proficient (achieved by a majority of non-special needs students), anywhere between 200 and 250. Finally, the lowest is Partially Proficient, which is below 200..
Alternate Proficiency Assessment (APA) is a portfolio-based assessment method used to measure academic progress for students with severe disabilities who are unable to participate in the standardized assessment tests. The APA is given to a student in each content area where the student's disability is so severe that the student is not receiving instruction in the skill being measured and the student cannot complete any of the types of questions on the assessment in a content area even with appropriate changes and accommodations.
In 2008, the GEPA was phased out in favor of a new version known as the NJ ASK 8. The new test will include changes from the original version, such as the deletion of the picture prompt.
Other names
- GEPA (Grade Eight Proficiency Assessment), or NJASK 8
- EWT (Early Warning Test), given to grade 8 students throughout New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...