State
chooses test for grades 5 to 7
Jersey rushes to meet federal
mandate
Wednesday, December 21, 2005 • BY JOHN MOONEY •
Star-Ledger Staff
New Jersey has completed its plans for
this spring's new student testing in grades five through
seven, while it devises a long-term plan for revamping how
the state measures student performance.
Ending months of uncertainty, the state
told districts yesterday that it picked Riverside Publishing
Co., the Illinois-based developer of a popular NJ PASS
commercial test now used in many districts.
The new tests will be given the first
week of April, officials said, and allow the state to meet
the federal deadline to have reading and math tests in place
for grades three to eight by the end of this school year.
The state now tests grades three, four, eight and
11.
The annual testing in elementary and
middle schools is required under the federal No Child Left
Behind Act, and state officials had been scrambling to add
the last three grades after acting Education Commissioner
Lucille Davy announced last month that she wanted to
redesign the state's testing for the years ahead.
But that left this spring's exams in
flux, and officials said they chose Riverside without
seeking formal contract bids after determining it was the
only test that would match the state's curriculum standards
and other federal requirements. The one-year contract is for
$4.6 million.
"It really couldn't be done through a
(request for proposal process), given we needed the test in
place by April," Davy said yesterday. "And we needed a test
that would stand up to review."
The state's school boards association
said it was pleased to have the schedule finally in
place.
"Districts now know the game plan for
this year and appreciate the commissioner's efforts," said
spokesman Frank Belluscio. "It looks like she pushed it as
far as she could in terms of when it takes
place."
© 2005 The Star-Ledger. Used by NJ.com with
permission.
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