As a State education agency, the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) must ensure that State assessments are of high quality. While State assessments are a single measure of how students are performing academically, they are an important lever towards better understanding a student’s academic needs in English language arts, mathematics, and science. State assessment results are used alongside other quantitative and qualitative measures to inform communities about productive utilization of district resources; identify schools and districts that require additional support from the NJDOE; and most importantly, provide critical information for enhancing curriculum and instruction in classrooms across the State.

New Jersey is required to administer the statewide assessments by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and by state statute. The statewide assessments administered on a yearly basis are:

• New Jersey Student Learning Assessments (NJSLA)
• Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM)
• ACCESS for English Language Learners (ELLs)
• New Jersey Graduation Proficiency Assessment (NJGPA)
• National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP)