For parents of students taking the ESPA and the GEPA, it provides information regarding the development of basic skills, higher order reasoning ability, and content knowledge.  In other words, it is a diagnostic tool.  Parents can find out if their child is "Partially Proficient," "Proficient," or "Advanced Proficient." See the Parent's Guide to either the ESPA and GEPA on NJDOE's Standards and Assessments web page.  The data for the district and school can be seen on the 2006 New Jersey School Report Card, and The New Jersey Statewide Assessment Reports. 

For students taking the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA), it provides information about content knowledge and may serve as a graduation requirement. See N.J.A.C. 6A:8, the Standards and Assessment, Amendments for Graduation Requirements.

For districts and schools, the statewide assessment system gauges the effectiveness of their curriculum and instructional strategies with the Core Curriculum Content Standards and Cumulative Progress Indicators. It also provides districts with data in order to guide any needed changes. The data for the district and school can be seen on the 2006 New Jersey School Report Card. This and the related software can be downloaded from the NJDOE web site.

For the State Board of Education (State Board of Education), the assessment system provides student achievement information to guide or support statewide policy decisions. 

For the Department of Education, the assessment system provides a foundation for certifying that local school districts and charter schools have aligned their programs to the Core Curriculum Content Standards and are providing a thorough and efficient education for all students. 

For other comprehensive state assessment systems, check out The Maryland Assessment Research Center for Education Success (MARCES) and ERICAE.NET (the ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation).