In the spring, your student participated in the New Jersey Student Learning Assessments (NJSLA) administration to measure their academic performance in English Language Arts (ELA), Mathematics, and Science as defined in the New Jersey Student Learning Standards (NJSLS). Evaluating the results from statewide testing can be a helpful tool in measuring your student’s success in school. For decades, New Jersey has used statewide assessments as a valuable instrument for assessing our students’ annual progress. After two years of disrupted learning, this year’s assessment results are more important than ever.

Due to the impact of COVID-19, the state did not administer the NJSLA in the 2019–2020 and the 2020–2021 school years. The Start Strong assessment was administered to provide districts with information on the level of support students may need during the 2021–2022 school year.

As of Thursday, September 22nd, all Individual Score Reports have been mailed home to all SBS families who had students in grades 3 through 8 during the 2021-2022 school year. The reports illustrate how your student performed on each test. There are also charts and graphics that show you how your student performed in relation to the New Jersey Student Learning Standards and how your student’s performance compares to other students in their school, district, and the state.

Your student’s ISRs are also available in the New Jersey Parent Portal. The online portal includes your student’s scale score, level of performance, and a video explanation of the score report. The video report communicates information from the ISR through animations and a voiceover in New Jersey’s top five languages: English, Spanish, Chinese, Portuguese, and Arabic. The Parent Score Interpretation Guide is also available in those five languages on the portal. The portal allows you to track your student’s scores from year to year, beginning with spring 2019. If this is the first time you will be accessing the online portal, you must create an account using the unique claim code that is located on your student’s paper ISR. Additional resources to help support your student can be found on the New Jersey Assessments Resource Center under Parent Resources.

*Any accommodations outlined in a student’s 504 Plan or IEP will be provided.

For more information on the state-testing requirements please visit the New Jersey Department of Education Assessment website. Information will be e-mailed to all parents and guardians these tests apply to. If you need further information, please contact Cheryl Salway, Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction.