• 2024-2025 School Year

    NJDOE Assessment Calendar

     

     

     

     

    NJSLA Resources and Links

    NJSLA Accessibility Features and Accommodations for Students in Special Education 

    https://nj.mypearsonsupport.com/manuals/#afaa
     
     

    NJSLA Parent/Guardian Resources

    https://nj.mypearsonsupport.com/manuals/#resources
     
     

    NJSLA Practice Tests and Sample Items

    https://nj.mypearsonsupport.com/practice-tests/
     
     

    NJSLA Test Design

    https://nj.mypearsonsupport.com/manuals/#blueprints
     
     
    NJSLA Understanding Score Results
     https://nj.mypearsonsupport.com/reporting/
     
     
    Parent Portal 
    (Retrieve student's individual score report & explanation)
    https://nj-results.pearsonaccessnext.com/login 
    Parent Portal User Guide (How-To) 
     
    Score Interpretation Guide (2022 NJSLA Results) 
    NJSLA Score Interpretation Guide for Parents
     
     
    Common Questions & Helpful Responses: 
     
    How can parents use the score reports to help their children? What type of skills and work are in each category and what resources are available for the categories?
    The test results will include a breakdown of your child’s performance in categories within each subject. This will help you understand where your child needs additional practice or to be challenged by going deeper into a subject. You can use these results to locate activities online that were designed specifically for every grade level. You can also use the test results to guide a discussion with your child’s teacher(s) about additional supports or challenges that may be needed in class, as well as other ways to support your child at home. To find resources in every category and at every grade level, visit http://bealearninghero.org/skill-builder or http://www.greatschools.org/gk/testguide/. You can use your child’s individual score to find resources that will match his or her areas of strength and areas for improvement.
     
    What does a child need to do to reach Level 4?
    To reach a Level 4, students need to understand and demonstrate that they have met the learning expectations for their grade level as outlined in the new, higher standards adopted by your state. Students do not need to cram or study for this test, because test questions reflect what they are learning and doing in the classroom every day. So the best preparation and practice is through the classwork and homework they complete throughout the year.
     
    Why does this test matter for my child?
    The NJSLA tests helps parents/guardians understand how their child is progressing in math and English language arts/literacy (ELA) and Science and how he or she is performing in comparison to peers in their grade level and school. It also informs parents where their child needs more support or additional challenges, which allows for more personalized instruction. High schools often times use the student's NJSLA score reports from grades 5-8, as an important criterion when deciding whether or not to admit a student into their program. 
     
    What if my child is doing well in the classroom and on his or her report card, but it is not reflected in the test score? 
    NJSLA is only one of several measures that illustrate a child’s progress in math and ELA and Science. Report card grades can include multiple sources of information like participation, work habits, group projects, homework, etc., that are not reflected in the NJSLA score, so there may or may not be a discrepancy.
     
    How can educators help students improve and make progress on next year’s test? 
    NJSLA has developed a range of instructional tools to help teachers assess the extent to which students are on track to mastering the new standards at their grade levels. The tools help teachers pinpoint students' strengths, determine where students are struggling in key content areas, and use results to differentiate instruction. And they provide models for best practices in instruction and assessment. The tools include: o Formative Tools K-12 o Speaking and listening tools o Diagnostics  Educators can use the information in the score reports to guide instruction. Students’ scores in the math and English language arts/literacy categories provide information about what additional evidence a teacher should gather in the classroom to make decisions about next steps for teaching and learning.
     
    From the score report, is it possible to identify where a student excels and where he or she needs more support and practice? 
    On your child’s score report, the scores in math and English language arts/literacy are broken down into sub-categories. Your child’s score in each will help you understand the progress your child is making and whether he/she needs additional practice or needs to be challenged by going deeper into a subject. Not all questions on the test are broken into the sub-categories so the sub-scores will not add up to the overall score.
    The math test is broken down into: o Major Content o Additional and Supporting Content o Expressing Mathematical Reasoning o Modeling and Application
    The English language arts/literacy test is broken down into: o Literary Text o Informational Text o Writing Expression o Knowledge and use of Language Conventions o Vocabulary
     
    What if my child has special needs? How does the test account for that?
    The NJSLA tests can be taken by all students, except those with severe cognitive disabilities. The test has accommodations and supports that are built into it for students with an Individualized Education Plans (IEP) or 504 plans. Accommodations include digital scratch paper, Braille, closed captioning, and others.
     
    How were the questions scored? Who scored them?
    Some of the test questions are scored automatically by computers, including, but not limited to selected response questions. Others require scoring by trained scorers. NJSLA partners with Pearson to hire qualified scorers who must have a Bachelor’s degree in mathematics, reading, education, or a related field to score the tests. Applicants go through a rigorous and selective evaluation and hiring process to qualify as NJSLA scorers. This includes extensive training, and scorers must pass practice scoring sets before being qualified as a NJSLA scorer. Three-quarters of all scorers have teaching experience.